In contrast to common belief, a number is more than just simply a number. Thereโs more to it than that since itโs intriguing and diversified.
It may be segregated into mainly 2 types: ordinal and nominal numbers. Such numbers are employed in our daily lives without our knowledge.
Key Takeaways
- Nominal numbers represent identification or naming without any inherent order or value.
- Ordinal numbers indicate a specific position or rank within a sequence.
- Researchers use nominal numbers for categorical data, while ordinal numbers apply to data with a clear order or hierarchy.
Nominal vs Ordinal Number
Nominal numbers are used to categorize or classify data into groups without any implied order or ranking. For example, gender (male or female), eye color (blue, green, or brown), or type of car (sedan, SUV, truck). Ordinal numbers are used to rank or order data based on a specific criterion. They indicate the relative position or importance of the data points being measured.

Nominal numbers suggest a name for something without keeping it in a hierarchy with other numbered items or data. A โfailโ or โpassโ categorization for the result of every studentโs examination is a very good demonstration of a nominal number.
Even if the information is restricted to counts, a nominal number gives little info regarding a set or collection of occurrences.
Ordinal numbers have some sort of order to them; they are ordered with respect to one another. Consider this scenario: you get a review from your preferred cafeteria asking for comments on the facility you got in their cafeteria.
You could rate the service value as โEโ, which means terrible, โDโ, which means below average, โCโ, which means average, โBโ, which means outstanding, and โAโ, which means very good.
The information gathered in this survey is a very good demonstration of the ordinal number. The given numbers have a rank or order; for example, a rank of โAโ is better than a rank of โD.โ
Comparison Table
Parameters of comparison | Nominal number | Ordinal number |
---|---|---|
Meaning | The things that are differentiated by a modest identification scheme are known as nominal numbers. | Ordinal numbers are statistics that are arranged in some way based on their location on a scale, and they can signify superiority. |
Categorial | Nominal numbers are also denoted as categorical data. | Ordinal variables are in between the spectrum of categorical and quantitative variables. |
Quantitative value | A nominal number is one that has no numerical value. | Ordinal numbers can be assigned numbers, but they cannot be used to do arithmetic. |
Association to remember | The Nominal numbers can be linked to โName.โ | The Ordinal Numbers can be related to the word โOrder.โ |
Example | Social security numbers, zip codes, bank codes, routing numbers, and car model numbers are all instances of nominal numbers. ย | Ordinal Numbers include things like the first footman, the third of October, the eighth kid in the family, and the third Saturday of the month. |
What is Nominal Number?
The word nominal is a derivative of the Latin term โnomenโ. It means name.โ A nominal number is a number that is generally used to identify anything.
Nominal numbers have no meaning in relation to amount or rank. They are only numbers with no additional information beyond object identification. It isnโt necessary to specify it on a set of objects.
A number may be applied to nominal things. Any object that is necessary for everyday life qualifies as a nominal item.
The nominalย numberย doesย notย generallyย haveย anย inherentย order.ย Race,ย forย instance,ย isย aย nominalย number withย severalย classifications, butย generally, thereย isย noย clearย methodย toย arrangeย themย fromย lowest to highest in other words, you cannot sort them according to the situation.
In mathematics, a nominal numeral is a one-to-one connection between a group of numbers and a set of objects. As a result, each item is assigned a unique identifier.
No two objects have the same identity. Nominal numbers include ZIP codes, phone numbers, and driverโs license numbers, to name a few.

What is Ordinal Number?
Any ordinal numeral generally refers to a specific position or the order of any figure in a collection. Ordinal numbers could be safely assumed to be relational.
For 2 of the proposals, natural numbers are employed. One method is to count how many items there are in a set. Another option is to provide an objectโs location within an order or set.
Natural numbers are extended into ordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers are used to represent the location or rank of anything in a list. Ordinary numerals have no meaning in terms of quantity.
The 2nd word in the expression โapple, orange, bananaโ is โorange.
Ordinalย numbersย canย takeย threeย forms:ย spatial/chronological,ย precedence/effect,ย andย Greekย prefix.ย First,ย second,ย andย thirdย areย examplesย ofย spatial/chronologicalย concepts.ย
Primary,ย secondary,ย andย tertiaryย effectsย areย allย examplesย ofย precedence/effect.ย Finally,ย theย Greekย prefix,ย whichย includesย wordsย likeย proto-,ย deutero-,ย andย trito-,ย isย theย leastย commonlyย used.
In 1870, Georg Cantor created ordinal numbers. These were created to categorize the collections of structures in a certain order and to accommodate endless sequences.

Main Differences Between Nominal and Ordinal number
- Within a set, nominal numbers indicate an object, person, date, or location. Ordinal numerals are figures that demonstrate the order or position of a number in a particular collection.
- Nominal numbers were not expressly introduced but were first used to signify data in memberships. The Ordinal numbers, on the other hand, were invented by Georg Cantor and are utilized in endless sequences.
- In everyday life, nominal numbers might be found. Ordinal numbers, on the other hand, maybe utilized in mathematical operations.
- Categorical data is another name for nominal numerals. Ordinal variables, on the other hand, are the โin-betweenโ category and quantitative variables.
- A nominal number is a figure which is generally used to identify anything. The ordinal number, on the other hand, is a natural number extension.
Refrences
- http://journal.aloha.academy/index.php/aijmu/article/view/257
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pms.1995.80.3.843

Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.