In which type of data does a higher number not mean something more than a lower number?

Nominal data is characterized by categories that do not have any intrinsic order or ranking among them. In nominal data, the numbers assigned to these categories are merely labels that differentiate one category from another; they do not convey any quantitative value. For example, if you have a set of data representing different colors, the numbers might represent "1" for red, "2" for blue, and "3" for green. In this context, a higher number does not indicate a greater value or rank among the colors; it simply serves as a distinctive identifier.

In contrast, interval and ratio data do possess meaningful numerical relationships where the difference between values is significant. In ordinal data, while there is a ranking or order, the intervals between the ranks are not necessarily equal, but the relative position implies that a higher number indicates a higher category. Therefore, nominal data is unique in that the numbers involved do not reflect any comparison or measurement of quantity.