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📈 Scatter Plots and Correlation

Plot two variables against each other, name the correlation as positive, negative, or none, and draw a line of best fit to make honest predictions.

lessons

~20 min

to learn

🔢 Math

subject

Teens

level

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What you’ll learn

Plotting Two VariablesPlot bivariate data on a correctly labelled scatter graph.A scatter plot compares two measured variables by plotting one dot per data pair — one variable on each axis. Before reading anything, set it up properly: label both axes and use an even scale so distances are fair. The cloud of dots then reveals any relationship.
Naming the CorrelationDescribe correlation as positive, negative, or none.The overall direction of the dots names the correlation: rising together is positive, one rising as the other falls is negative, and a shapeless cloud with no direction is no correlation. Naming the correlation is the first step in interpreting a scatter plot.
Line of Best FitDraw a line of best fit through correlated data by eye.When data shows correlation, a line of best fit runs through the middle of the trend. Drawn by eye, a good line follows the overall direction with roughly as many points above it as below — it does not need to pass through every dot.
Predicting HonestlyUse a line of best fit to make predictions, and avoid confusing correlation with causation.Following the line of best fit estimates unknown values, but only within the range of the collected data — predicting far beyond it (extrapolation) is unreliable. And remember: correlation does not prove causation, since a hidden third factor may drive both variables.

Questions this course answers

On a scatter plot, each dot represents:

Every point is one pair of values, one from each variable.

Before plotting a scatter graph you must:

Clear axis labels and an even scale make the plot readable and fair.

If one variable rises as the other rises, the correlation is:

Both increasing together is a positive correlation.

A shapeless cloud of dots with no direction shows:

No clear direction means no correlation between the variables.

A good line of best fit has:

The best-fit line balances points above and below along the trend.

Using a line of best fit to predict is reliable only:

Predicting within the data range is safe; extrapolating far beyond is not.

Grounded in trusted sources

Khan Academy — Math
BBC Bitesize — Maths
NCTM — Illuminations

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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