Question

A survey asks people to identify their age, annual income, and marital status (single, married, divorced, etc.). For each of these three variables, identify the scale of measurement that probably is used and identify whether the variable is continuous or discrete.

Answer 1

The age variable is ordinal and discrete, the annual income variable is ratio and continuous, and the marital status variable is nominal and discrete.

Step-by-step explanation:

For the age variable, the scale of measurement used is most likely ordinal. Age categories such as 'under 18', '18-24', '25-34', etc., can be ordered, but the differences between them cannot be measured precisely. Therefore, the age variable is discrete.

For the annual income variable, the scale of measurement used is most likely ratio. Income can be measured in exact amounts and has a definite ordering. It is also a continuous variable, as it can take on any value within a certain range.

For the marital status variable, the scale of measurement used is nominal. Marital status categories such as 'single', 'married', 'divorced', etc., are qualitative and cannot be ordered. The marital status variable is also discrete, as it can only take on a limited number of distinct values.