Which of these pairs of variables would you expect to
be represented by a scatterplot with a negative
correlation?
a. a person's height and the person's grade on the math test
b. the depth of the water in a pond and the amount of rainfall
c. the number of miles driven and the number of people on the bus
d. the number of concert tickets purchased and the number of concert tickets still available for purchase
a. a person's height and the person's grade on the math test
there is no way that is correct
Apologies for the incorrect response. The correct pair of variables that would likely be represented by a scatterplot with a negative correlation is:
b. the depth of the water in a pond and the amount of rainfall
b is a positive correlation
Apologies for the error once again. You are correct, the depth of the water in a pond and the amount of rainfall would actually be expected to have a positive correlation, as an increase in rainfall would typically result in an increase in pond water depth.
The correct answer is:
d. the number of concert tickets purchased and the number of concert tickets still available for purchase. In this scenario, as the number of concert tickets purchased increases, the number of concert tickets still available for purchase would decrease, showing a negative correlation.
To determine which pairs of variables would be represented by a scatterplot with a negative correlation, we need to understand what a negative correlation means. In a scatterplot, the correlation describes the relationship between two variables. A negative correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other variable tends to decrease.
Let's examine each pair of variables:
a. a person's height and the person's grade on the math test:
There is likely no significant relationship between a person's height and their math test grade. Therefore, we wouldn't expect to see a negative correlation in this case.
b. the depth of the water in a pond and the amount of rainfall:
In general, when rainfall increases, the depth of water in a pond tends to increase. Therefore, this pair of variables would not have a negative correlation.
c. the number of miles driven and the number of people on the bus:
These variables are likely to have a negative correlation. As more people choose to take the bus, the number of miles driven by individual cars would likely decrease.
d. the number of concert tickets purchased and the number of concert tickets still available for purchase:
These variables are also likely to have a negative correlation. As more concert tickets are purchased, the number of tickets available for purchase decreases.
So, the pairs of variables that would be expected to have a negative correlation are:
c. the number of miles driven and the number of people on the bus
d. the number of concert tickets purchased and the number of concert tickets still available for purchase