Nursing Resources: Qualitative vs Quantitative. Quantitative research, also called empirical research, refers to any research based on something that can be accurately and precisely measured.
Noun. 1. index-a numerical scale used to compare variables with one another or with some reference number. margin of error, margin of safety, safety margin-the margin required in order to insure safety; in engineering the margin of safety is the strength of the material minus the anticipated stress.
In astronomy, the color index is a simple numerical expression that determines the color of an object, which in the case of a star gives its temperature. The smaller the color index, the more blue (or hotter) the object is. Conversely, the larger the color index, the more red (or cooler) the object is. This is a consequence of the logarithmic magnitude scale, in which brighter objects have smaller (more negative) magnitudes than dimmer ones.