Correlation and 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. It can be positive, negative, or zero.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.C.9

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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.

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What does a positive correlation indicate?

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A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What does a negative correlation indicate?

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A negative correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases.

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What does no correlation mean?

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No correlation means that there is no predictable relationship between the changes in two variables.

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What is a scatter plot?

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A scatter plot is a graph that shows the relationship between two data sets, with points representing the values of each variable.

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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, where -1 indicates a perfect negative correlation, +1 indicates a perfect positive correlation, and 0 indicates no correlation.

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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 when it starts raining, and the baseball game is delayed.

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What is an example of positive correlation?

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An example of positive correlation is the relationship between studying hours and test scores; as study hours increase, test scores tend to increase.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.B.5

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What is an example of negative correlation?

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An example of negative correlation is the relationship between the amount of exercise and body weight; as exercise increases, body weight tends to decrease.

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