A map showing car race winners by their ranking is an example of which kind of data?

The scenario presented describes a map that displays car race winners categorized by their ranking, which inherently involves a specific order to the data points. In this context, the rankings represent an ordinal data type.

Ordinal data is characterized by the presence of a meaningful order or hierarchy among the values, but the intervals between these values are not necessarily consistent or meaningful. For example, the difference between first and second place may not indicate the same performance gap as between second and third place. Hence, while rankings allow you to understand who placed better in a given race, they do not provide precise measurements of performance.

This classification distinguishes ranking data from nominal, interval, or ratio data. Nominal data involves categories without a defined order (like colors or types of cars), interval data includes ordered values with meaningful intervals but no true zero (like temperature in Celsius), and ratio data has all the characteristics of interval data with an absolute zero point, allowing for the comparison of absolute values (like lap times measured in seconds). In your example, the ranking system fits the definition of ordinal data as it conveys position but not the exact margin of victory or relationship in performance between the ranks.