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I have the following in a form on a computer. This is where a user can enter a measured value.

Choose Physical Quantity: Length, Weight, Speed

Choose Quantity: NNNN

What do I write it if I also want to include balance of an account (USD) or amount of data (kB)?

Choose Physical Quantity: Length, Weight, Speed, Data Volume, Account Balance

The latter two are not exactly physical.

Choose ??????: Length, Weight, Speed, Data Volume, Account Balance

Someone suggested "measure", but I would like that confirmed.

Choose Measure: Length, Weight, Speed, Data Volume, Account Balance

Wikipedia seems to like "quantity".

Choose Quantity: Length, Weight, Speed, Data Volume, Account Balance

How about "element"?

Choose Element: Length, Weight, Speed, Data Volume, Account Balance

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  • The snag is that the 'physical quantity' senses of length, weight etc are the overall notional non-count usages (eg AHDEL length 1. The state, quality, or fact of being long) [and think of weight is dependent on gravitational force as well as mass] not individual instances (which are of course count) (eg AHDEL length 2. The measurement of the extent of something along its greatest dimension: the length of the boat). One's bank balance is a particular instance of a sum of money. 'Data type / Type of data [to input]' will probably work.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 8:10
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    Are you using the same form field for length and data volume and account balance? You might have a User Experience question in addition to an English one.
    – 200_success
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 9:09
  • In Swedish I'd say "storhet". It covers them all.
    – Roger C S Wernersson
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 9:54
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    Is call the first field the dimension and the second the measurement (alternatively, metric and value respectively).
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 9:59
  • So "Dimension" or "Metric". Interesting. Thanks! Why don't you create an answer? :-)
    – Roger C S Wernersson
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 10:38

4 Answers 4

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the only good approach is "value" as Eric explains,

but moreover simply leave it out. You do not need anything there, and it looks silly.

Note too that

Select

is very likely the term you are looking for.

Select Length, Weight, Speed, Data Volume, Account Balance

Or, as Eric says,

Enter values for Length, Weight, Speed, Data Volume, Account Balance

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Consider value:

3.

The numerical amount denoted by an algebraic term; a magnitude, quantity, or number:

the mean value of x

an accurate value for the mass of Venus

MORE EXAMPLE SENTENCES

To explain how the two sides change together, Jim gave sets of specific numeric values for the lengths.

For numerical simulations, appropriate values of the various quantities must be determined.

One of the great goals of fundamental physics is to find the reason for the precise numerical values of the constants that appear in the equations that prescribe the laws of Nature.

(Definition and examples from Oxforddictionaries.com)

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  • I have updated the question. Please review again.
    – Roger C S Wernersson
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 8:14
  • @RogerWernersson - Before reevaluating my answer, I'd like you to update your question with a little more context to explain the reason that those particular headings are all included among the possible choices. That might help us to target the right kind of terminology more accurately.
    – Erik Kowal
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 8:41
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In mathematics, which computer programming follows, the generic term is parametric values.

A parametric value is a name-value pair

parameter-name = parameter-value.

The parameter name is almost always coded as the variable in computer software.

In database terminology, it would be a field-value pair, where a field is usually a column in a database table. If there are no known limit on the number of parameters, such that you expect to encounter new parameters continually, the parameters would be attribute record-rows of an attribute-value table.

In statistical analysis, when we process various values, we would simply call them parameters.

Parameters can have
  • instance values, for each occurrence of a parameter
  • singleton, where a parameter has only one occurrence, and is of variable value
  • constant value, where there is only one occurrence of a parameter and the value is immutable/unchangeable.
Therefore
  • parameters = general terminology used on each measured type.
  • parametric value to a parameter = to specifically address the value of a parameter
  • parametric name-value pairs = to specifically address a parameter and its value
  • parametric instance = an occurrence of the parameter, among many occurrences.
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  • The person who down-voted must have been annoyed by my simplistic correlation of a field to a database column.
    – Blessed Geek
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 13:25
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You can refer to these quantities with a more general term like:

size:

  • the dimensions, proportions, amount, or extent of something.

The size of an account in a USD, the size of an amount of data (kb).

Source:http: www.thefreedictionary.com

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1
  • I have updated the question. Please review again.
    – Roger C S Wernersson
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 8:15

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