Absolute scale

There is no single definition of an absolute scale. In statistics and measurement theory, it is simply a ratio scale in which the unit of measurement is fixed, and values are obtained by counting. Another definition tells us it is the count of the elements in a set, with its natural origin being zero, the empty set. Some sources tell us that even time can be measured in an absolute scale, proving year zero is measured from the beginning of the universe. How that is obtained precisely would be a matter of debate. Colloquially, the Kelvin temperature scale, where absolute zero is the temperature at which molecular energy is at a minimum, and the Rankine temperature scale are also referred to as absolute scales. In that case, an absolute scale is a system of measurement that begins at a minimum, or zero point, and progresses in only one direction. Measurement theory, however, categorizes them as ratio scales. In general, an absolute scale differs from a relative scale in having some reference point that is not arbitrarily selected.