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GCSE Mathematics · key term
An association between two variables, shown by a pattern in their paired values.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification S6 · Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3
A tendency for two variables to change together.
Revise: Scatter GraphsIf the points show no clear upward or downward pattern, there is no correlation. A rising line of best fit has a positive gradient; a falling one has a negative gradient.
Specification S6 · Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3
Describe correlation by both direction and strength, for example ‘strong negative correlation’.
Correlation alone does not show that one variable causes the other.
Never conclude that one variable causes the other merely because the scatter graph shows correlation.
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Positive correlation: the points tend to rise from left to right. As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.
Specification 12.03c · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Foundation), Paper 4 (Higher), Paper 5 (Higher), Paper 6 (Higher)
An association between two variables, shown by an overall pattern in paired data.
Revise: Scatter GraphsA pattern rising from bottom left to top right shows positive correlation: larger values of one variable tend to occur with larger values of the other.