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How Data are Classified: Numerical Data

How Data are Classified: Numerical Data

Data that are countable or measurable in specific units are called numerical or quantitative data. Quantitative data are always numbers. Quantitative data are the result of counting or measuring the attributes of a population. Amount of money, pulse rate, weight, number of people living in a town, and number of students who opt for statistics are examples of quantitative data.
Quantitative data may be either discrete or continuous. All quantitative data that take on only specific numerical...

Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments

Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments

Counting is the type of measurement that is free from uncertainty, provided the number of objects being counted does not change during the process. Such measurements result in exact numbers. By counting the eggs in a carton, for instance, one can determine exactly how many eggs are there in the carton. Similarly, the numbers of defined quantities are also exact. For example, 1 foot is exactly 12 inches, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, and 1 gram is exactly 0.001 kilograms. Quantities...

Numerical Calculations

Numerical Calculations

In engineering applications, the representation of the numerical value is critical. Presenting or reporting the answer is one of the essential parts of engineering practices. Numerical calculations are performed using handheld calculators or computers since numerically accurate answers are always preferred.
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Range

Range

The range is one of the measures of variation. It can be defined as the difference between a dataset's highest and lowest values. For example, in the study of seven 16-ounce soda cans, the filled volume of soda was measured, thus producing the following amount (in ounces) of soda:
15.9; 16.1; 15.2; 14.8; 15.8; 15.9; 16.0; 15.5
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Interval Level of Measurement

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Uncertainty in Measurement: Significant Figures

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All the digits in a measurement, including the uncertain last digit, are called significant figures or significant digits. Note that zero may be a measured value; for example, if a scale that shows weight to the nearest pound reads “140,” then the 1 (hundreds), 4 (tens), and 0 (ones) are all significant (measured) values.

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Exact Number Concepts Are Limited to the Verbal Count Range.

Benjamin Pitt¹, Edward Gibson², Steven T Piantadosi¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley.

Psychological Science

|February 8, 2022

Summary

Language enables exact number concepts beyond four. The Tsimane' people

Keywords:

cognition cross-cultural differences language number comprehension open data

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Linguistics
Anthropology

Background:

Previous research suggests exact number representation relies on verbal counting routines.
These findings are debated due to cross-cultural and linguistic comparisons.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of language in exact number concepts within a single population.
To resolve conflicting theories on number representation and language.

Main Methods:

Studied the Tsimane' people of Bolivia, where number word knowledge varies.
Utilized a novel data-analysis model for a numerical matching task with 30 participants.
Quantified the switch point from exact to approximate number representation.

Main Results:

Behavioral switch points correlated with participants' verbal count ranges.
Exact cardinality representation was limited by known number words.
Beyond known number words, participants used numerical approximation.

Conclusions:

Language acquisition directly enables the concept of large exact numbers.
Resolves debate by demonstrating language's role in number representation within a single linguistic group.