cardinal

(adjective)

Describing a "natural" number used to indicate quantity (e.g., one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.

Related Terms

Examples of cardinal in the following topics:

  • Defining Utility

    • Cardinal utility also ranks a series of options in order of preference, but it also measures the magnitude of the utility differences.
    • An example of a statement reflecting cardinal utility is "I would enjoy reading three times more than watching television. " Given how difficult it is to precisely measure preference, cardinal utility is rarely used.

  • Marginal Utility

    • Since utility is rarely measured using cardinal means, it may seem difficult to determine a product's marginal value.