Categorical data
Categorical data is data that is grouped in categories. An example being the data that is collated in answer to the question: What is your favourite colour?
Numerical Data
In contrast, numerical data is data that is collected in number form and can be expressed as a decimal or a fraction. For example, it cannot be a yes or no answer, it has to be something like: The number of people who attended the pool over the summer each day.
Any mathematical operation can be performed on numerical data. If the data has to be put in a category it is categorical. Continuous numerical data can take on any number in a range of numbers and is generally things measured in weight, time and temperature. In the example shown in the video opposite, the data measures the temperature each day he was on holiday. If instead, he was collecting data for the number of times he went to the pool, this would be discrete numerical data. |
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