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Lesson 2: Summarizing Data
Section 5: Methods for Summarizing Data
Knowing the type of variable helps you decide how to summarize the data. Table 2.7 displays the ways in which different variables might be summarized.
Table 2.7 Methods for Summarizing Different Types of Variables
|
Scale
|
Ratio or Proportion
|
Measure of
Central Location |
Measure of Spread
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal |
yes
|
no | no |
| Ordinal |
yes
|
no | no |
| Interval |
yes, but might need to group first
|
yes | yes |
| Ratio |
yes, but might need to group first
|
yes | yes |