Correlation vs. 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. In other words, causation implies a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables.

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What does a correlation coefficient of -0.87 indicate?

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A correlation coefficient of -0.87 indicates a strong negative correlation between the two variables being studied.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What does a correlation coefficient of 0.92 indicate?

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A correlation coefficient of 0.92 indicates a strong positive correlation between the two variables being studied.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What is the range of correlation coefficients?

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The range of correlation coefficients is from -1 to +1. A coefficient of -1 indicates a perfect negative correlation, 0 indicates no correlation, and +1 indicates a perfect positive correlation.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What does a correlation coefficient of 0 mean?

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A correlation coefficient of 0 means that there is no linear relationship between the two variables.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What is an example of correlation that does not imply causation?

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An example of correlation that does not imply causation is the increase in ice cream sales as the temperature rises. While both may increase together, one does not cause the other.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.C.9

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What is a scatterplot?

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A scatterplot is a graphical representation of two variables where each point represents an observation. It is used to visualize the relationship between the variables.

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What does a strong positive correlation look like on a scatterplot?

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A strong positive correlation on a scatterplot appears as points that are closely clustered around a straight line that slopes upwards from left to right.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What does a strong negative correlation look like on a scatterplot?

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A strong negative correlation on a scatterplot appears as points that are closely clustered around a straight line that slopes downwards from left to right.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5