The term 'true zero' refers to

The term 'true zero' refers to

• A. A measurement containing no units
• B. A scale point where zero means absence of the quantity
• C. A point indicating maximal value
• D. An average value

Answer: (B)

True zero means the zero point on a measurement scale represents the complete absence of the quantity being measured. This is what lets you talk about meaningful ratios, such as one length being twice another or a person having twice as much of something as someone else. For example, length in meters has a true zero at 0 meters, weight in kilograms has a zero at 0 kg, and money has 0 dollars when nothing is possessed. Some scales, like temperature in Celsius, have zeros that don’t mean absence of temperature, so ratios aren’t meaningful there. The key idea is that zero should indicate “none of the quantity.”

True zero means the zero point on a measurement scale represents the complete absence of the quantity being measured. This is what lets you talk about meaningful ratios, such as one length being twice another or a person having twice as much of something as someone else. For example, length in meters has a true zero at 0 meters, weight in kilograms has a zero at 0 kg, and money has 0 dollars when nothing is possessed. Some scales, like temperature in Celsius, have zeros that don’t mean absence of temperature, so ratios aren’t meaningful there. The key idea is that zero should indicate “none of the quantity.”