A rating scale would be an example of what type of data?

A rating scale is best categorized as ordinal data. This type of data represents categories with a meaningful order or ranking among the values, but does not quantify the exact differences between them. For instance, on a rating scale of 1 to 5, while '5' indicates a higher satisfaction level than '1', the distance between these values is not necessarily uniform or quantifiable in the same way that numeric data like interval or ratio suggests.

Nominal data consists of categories without a specific order, such as colors or types of fruits. Interval data implies that the differences between values are meaningful and consistent, such as temperature measured in Celsius, but does not have a true zero point. Ratio data includes all properties of interval data, plus it has a true zero that allows for meaningful discussions about the degree of change or difference, such as weight or height.

Thus, rating scales clearly indicate order, making them ordinal data, not ratio data.