What's Positive Correlation?

What's Positive Correlation?

Note:

Looking at a line-of-fit on a scatter plot? Does that line have a positive slope? If so, your data shows a positive correlation! Learn about positive correlation by watching this tutorial.

Keywords:

  • definition
  • positive
  • correlation
  • positive correlation
  • data
  • fit
  • line of fit
  • scatter
  • graph
  • plot

Background Tutorials

  • Use a pair of perpendicular number lines, called axes, to define a coordinate system, with the intersection of the lines (the origin) arranged to coincide with the 0 on each line and a given point in the plane located by using an ordered pair of numbers, called its coordinates. Understand that the first number indicates how far to travel from the origin in the direction of one axis, and the second number indicates how far to travel in the direction of the second axis, with the convention that the names of the two axes and the coordinates correspond (e.g., x-axis and x-coordinate, y-axis and y-coordinate).

      • What is the Coordinate Plane?What is the Coordinate Plane?

      What is the Coordinate Plane?

      You can't graph a function or plot ordered pairs without a coordinate plane! Learn about the coordinate plane by watching this tutorial.

  • Use similar triangles to explain why the slope m is the same between any two distinct points on a non-vertical line in the coordinate plane; derive the equation y = mx for a line through the origin and the equation y = mx + b for a line intercepting the vertical axis at b.

      • What Does Positive Slope Mean?What Does Positive Slope Mean?

      What Does Positive Slope Mean?

      What does a positive slope mean? What does the graph of a positive slope look like? Find the answers to these questions by watching this tutorial!

  • Know that straight lines are widely used to model relationships between two quantitative variables. For scatter plots that suggest a linear association, informally fit a straight line, and informally assess the model fit by judging the closeness of the data points to the line.

Further Exploration

  • Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurement data to investigate patterns of association between two quantities. Describe patterns such as clustering, outliers, positive or negative association, linear association, and nonlinear association.

      • What Does it Mean To Have No Correlation?What Does it Mean To Have No Correlation?

      What Does it Mean To Have No Correlation?

      Scatter plots are very helpful in graphically showing the pattern in a set of data. But sometimes that data shows no correlation. Learn about no correlation and see how to tell if data shows no correlation by watching this tutorial!