An ordinal scale is a type of measurement that organizes data into a specific order or ranking. It allows for the comparison of items based on their relative position, such as first, second, and third. However, while it indicates the order, it does not provide information about the exact differences between the ranks. For example, in a race, the finishing positions of runners can be represented on an ordinal scale. The runner who finishes first is ahead of the one who finishes second, but the scale does not reveal how much faster the first runner was compared to the second runner.