A measurement scale is a system used to assign numbers or labels to objects or events in order to quantify and categorize them. There are four main types of measurement scales: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Each scale has different properties and uses, ranging from simple categorization to more complex mathematical operations. Nominal scales classify data into distinct categories without any order, while ordinal scales rank data in a specific order. Interval scales have equal intervals between values but lack a true zero point, whereas ratio scales possess both equal intervals and a true zero, allowing for a full range of mathematical operations.