5. Choosing a Data Display
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What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
Qualitative
Before classifying the data as qualitative or quantitative, let's recall the definitions of these classifications.
| Types of Data | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Can It Be Measured? | Qualitative | Describes a category and cannot be measured or numerically compared |
| Quantitative | Has units and can be measured and numerically compared |
Let's now consider our data set.
|
file formats of documents on a computer |
File formats are nonnumerical entries that can be separated into different categories. It does not make sense to measure or numerically compare them. Therefore, the data are qualitative.