Ordinalinen

Ordinalinen is an adjective used in mathematics, statistics and related fields to describe quantities or scales that convey order but not precise magnitude. The term, derived from the Latin ordinalis, denotes that values can be ranked from highest to lowest while differences between adjacent values are not necessarily equal or meaningful.

In measurement theory an ordinal scale allows comparison of items by relative position. Common examples include rankings (first, second, third), Likert-type survey responses (agree, neutral, disagree) and categories such as small/medium/large. Ordinal data permit statements about greater-than or less-than but do not support arithmetic operations that assume equal intervals.

Statistical treatment of ordinal data emphasizes non-parametric methods and summary statistics that do not rely on interval properties. Typical analyses include medians, percentiles, rank correlation coefficients (Spearman’s rho, Kendall’s tau) and tests like the Mann–Whitney U or Kruskal–Wallis. Transformations that preserve order (monotonic transformations) are permissible, while linear scaling that assumes interval equality is not.

Limitations of ordinal measurement include restricted inferential power and potential misinterpretation when treated as interval data. Careful instrument design and clear reporting of scale properties help ensure appropriate analysis. The concept of ordinalinen is distinct from cardinal measurement, which conveys both order and meaningful numerical distance.