High School Math : Using Scatter Plots

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for High School Math

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #2 : How To Interpret Dotplots

Based on the scatter plot below, is there a correlation between the  and  variables? If so, describe the correlation.

Question_11

Possible Answers:

Yes; positive linear relationship

No; there is no correlation

Yes; negative linear relationship

Yes; negative exponential relationship

Correct answer:

Yes; negative linear relationship

Explanation:

The data points follow an overall linear trend, as opposed to being randomly distributed. Though there are a few outliers, there is a general relationship between the two variables.

A line could accurately predict the trend of the data points, suggesting there is a linear correlation. Since the y-values decrease as the x-values increase, the correlation must be negative. We can see that a line connecting the upper-most and lower-most points would have a negative slope.

An exponential relationship would be curved, rather than straight.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors