Final answer:
Olympic medals (Gold, Silver, Bronze) are ranked using the ordinal scale, which allows for ordering the medals but does not quantify the precise differences between the ranks.
Step-by-step explanation:
Olympic Medals Scale Type
The Olympic medals (Gold, Silver, Bronze) represent a type of scale known as the ordinal scale. This level of measurement implies that the data can be ordered, as gold is ranked higher than silver, and silver is ranked higher than bronze. However, while this ordering reflects a ranking, the exact differences between the ranks cannot be quantified. Therefore, we can list the top three athletes in an event based on their medal wins, but we can't measure the differences between the ranks in a meaningful way as one would do with numerical scores.
For example, saying that gold is 'one level' better than silver does not provide a precise measure of the difference in performance. The ordinal scale is similar to nominal scale data but with the added characteristic of rank-order. This contrasts with interval and ratio scales, where the magnitude of difference between items can be measured, and in the case of ratio scales, a natural zero point exists allowing for the calculation of ratios.