Which scale has equal spacing between values but zero does not indicate absence of quantity?

Which scale has equal spacing between values but zero does not indicate absence of quantity?

• A. Interval
• B. Nominal
• C. Ordinal
• D. Ratio

Answer: (A)

Interval scales have equal spacing between adjacent values, yet zero on the scale does not represent the absence of the quantity. This means you can assess differences and compute averages, but you cannot legitimately talk about ratios. A classic example is temperature scales like Celsius: the difference between 20° and 30° is the same as between 10° and 20°, but 0° does not mean there is no temperature at all (0° Celsius is just a point on the scale). This distinguishes interval scales from ratio scales, which have true zero and allow meaningful ratios, and from nominal or ordinal scales, which do not guarantee equal intervals between values.

Interval scales have equal spacing between adjacent values, yet zero on the scale does not represent the absence of the quantity. This means you can assess differences and compute averages, but you cannot legitimately talk about ratios. A classic example is temperature scales like Celsius: the difference between 20° and 30° is the same as between 10° and 20°, but 0° does not mean there is no temperature at all (0° Celsius is just a point on the scale). This distinguishes interval scales from ratio scales, which have true zero and allow meaningful ratios, and from nominal or ordinal scales, which do not guarantee equal intervals between values.