Final answer:
Qualitative data are nonnumerical and subjective, describing attributes of a population using words or letters. Examples include hair color, blood type, and ethnic group. Quantitative data, on the other hand, represents a specific amount and can be measured or counted.
Step-by-step explanation:
Qualitative data are the result of categorizing or describing attributes of a population. They are nonnumerical data that are often collected in natural settings. Examples of qualitative data include hair color, blood type, ethnic group, and the car a person drives. Qualitative data are generally described by words or letters and are subjective in nature.
For instance, hair color might be described as black, dark brown, light brown, blonde, gray, or red. Blood type might be classified as AB+, O-, or B+. Qualitative descriptions are used when describing the quality of an object or a physical property, such as the color of sulfur or the weight of a math book.
Quantitative data, in contrast, represents a specific amount of something and can be measured or counted. Examples of quantitative descriptions include the number of students in a class, the number of pages in a book, or the velocity of an object. Quantitative data lends itself more easily to mathematical analysis and is often preferred by researchers over qualitative data.