What is the definition of nominal data?

Nominal data refers to a type of categorical data that represents different categories or groups without any intrinsic ordering or ranking. This means that the values are used simply to label or identify distinct categories, such as gender, hair color, or types of occupations, and do not imply any quantitative relationship or hierarchy among them.

When data are categorized in this way, each category is mutually exclusive, meaning that an item can belong to only one category. For instance, if you have data on people's favorite fruits, listing "apple," "banana," and "cherry" as categories does not indicate that one is better or worse than another; they are simply labels for different types of fruit.

In contrast, the options that refer to arrangements or measurements involve either some form of order or quantity, which is not applicable to nominal data. Thus, the definition provided accurately reflects the nature of nominal data within the context of data classification in research and assessment.