Which of the following is an example of multivariate data? Vital signs recorded for a new born baby Number of songs played in a day by your favourite radio station Daily temperature recorded by a monitoring station in Antarctica Number of words spoken by President Donald Trump in his inaugural speech
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: Vital signs recorded for a newborn baby
Explanation:
Multivariate data refers to data that involves more than one variable observed or measured for each individual or item. It is used when studying relationships between multiple attributes or features at the same time.
Let’s evaluate the choices:
- Vital signs recorded for a newborn baby ✅
This is multivariate data because multiple variables are being recorded simultaneously — such as heart rate, temperature, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, etc. These vital signs are all different types of measurements collected at the same time for one individual (the newborn), making this a textbook example of multivariate data.
- Number of songs played in a day by your favourite radio station ❌
This is univariate data, because it involves just a single numerical value — the number of songs — being recorded per day. There’s only one variable.
- Daily temperature recorded by a monitoring station in Antarctica ❌
This is also univariate data. Although it may be recorded over many days (a time series), it’s still one variable — temperature — being measured. The time dimension doesn’t make it multivariate unless more variables (like wind speed or humidity) are also recorded together.
- Number of words spoken by President Donald Trump in his inaugural speech ❌
Again, this is univariate: a single number — the word count — for a single event. No additional variables are included.
Summary:
Multivariate data captures multiple measurements per subject or case. This is essential for complex analysis like regression, clustering, or principal component analysis. Among the options, only the vital signs of a newborn baby include multiple simultaneous observations, making it the correct example of multivariate data.