Correlation & Causation

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What is correlation?

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Correlation is a statistical measure that describes the extent to which two variables change together. A positive correlation means that as one variable increases, the other also increases, while a negative correlation means that as one variable increases, the other decreases.

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What is causation?

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Causation indicates that one event is the result of the occurrence of another event. It implies a direct cause-and-effect relationship between two variables.

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What does a correlation coefficient of 1 indicate?

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A correlation coefficient of 1 indicates a perfect positive correlation, meaning that as one variable increases, the other variable increases in perfect proportion.

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What does a correlation coefficient of -1 indicate?

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A correlation coefficient of -1 indicates a perfect negative correlation, meaning that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases in perfect proportion.

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What does a correlation coefficient of 0 indicate?

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A correlation coefficient of 0 indicates no correlation between the two variables, meaning that changes in one variable do not predict changes in the other.

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What is a strong positive correlation?

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A strong positive correlation is indicated by a correlation coefficient close to 1 (e.g., 0.8 to 1), suggesting that the two variables move in the same direction.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What is a strong negative correlation?

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A strong negative correlation is indicated by a correlation coefficient close to -1 (e.g., -0.8 to -1), suggesting that the two variables move in opposite directions.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What is an example of causation?

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An example of causation is: "The car ran out of gas, which caused it to be stranded on the side of the road." This shows a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

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What is an example of correlation without causation?

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An example of correlation without causation is: "High social media usage and reduced grades." While these two may be correlated, one does not necessarily cause the other.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.C.9

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How can you determine if a correlation is strong or weak?

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You can determine if a correlation is strong or weak by looking at the correlation coefficient: values closer to 1 or -1 indicate strong correlations, while values closer to 0 indicate weak correlations.

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