A person's telephone area code is an example of which data type?

A telephone area code is classified as qualitative and nominal because it represents a categorical label rather than a numerical value. Qualitative data refers to non-numeric information that describes qualities or characteristics. In this case, the area code identifies a specific geographical region but does not have a meaningful numeric value.

Being nominal indicates that the area code is used for identification purposes without any inherent order. For instance, an area code like 212 (New York City) does not signify anything higher or lower than an area code like 310 (Los Angeles); they simply represent different regions without implying a ranking or ordinal relationship. In contrast, numerical data types would imply some form of quantity or order, which is not applicable to area codes. Thus, the correct identification as qualitative and nominal reflects its role in categorizing and identifying locations rather than measuring or ranking.