Topic 6 Lecture 4 – Scatter Graphs and Correlation Mathematical Techniques

Mathematical Techniques

Topic 6 - Lecture 4:
Scatter graphs and correlation

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.2

Learning Objectives
• To be able to draw a scatter graph
• To recognise correlation and be able to draw a
line of best fit

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.3

Key Words
• Correlation
• Variable

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Topic 6 Lecture 4 – Scatter Graphs and Correlation Mathematical Techniques

Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.4

Scatter Graphs
• Scatter graphs are used to investigate
relationships between two sets of data.
• A scatter graph may show a link or connection
between two variables.
• As an example, the two variables we are going
to look at are:
- Amount of sunshine
- Number of ice creams sold

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.5

Example
An ice cream seller records
the number of ice creams
ber of ice

he sells each day, along

ms sold

with the number of hours of

sunshine on that day.
day
cream
Numb

What do you imagine the

Hours of sunshine scatter graph would look
like?

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.6

Plotting A Scatter Graph - 1

• The table shows the amount of
ice-cream sold by an ice-cream
seller in 10 days last summer.
• To plot a scatter graph, put
number of hours of sunshine on
the x-axis and number of ice
creams sold on the y-axis.
• Then plot a point for each row
in the table with a cross. E.g.
the first point is (3, 120).

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Topic 6 Lecture 4 – Scatter Graphs and Correlation Mathematical Techniques

Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.7

Plotting A Scatter Graph - 2

• The ice-cream seller also offers hot drinks.
• Plot a scatter graph of this data.

Number of
hot drinks
bought 210 170 50 220 270 180 190 20 120 130
Hours of
sunshine 3 6 11 2 0 7 2 12 7 5

What do you notice about this graph?

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.8

Correlation - 1
• From a scatter graph, you can determine if there is a
link between the variables. This is described as
correlation.
- These 3 sketches show 3 different types of correlation:
- No Correlation, Positive Correlation, Negative Correlation.
• Which is which?
x
xx x x
x x x
x x x x x x x
x x xx x x
x
x xx x x
x x

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.9

Correlation - 2
x
xx x x x
x x x x x x x
x x
x x xx x x
x
x xx x x
x x

Positive correlation Negative correlation No correlation

As one variable As one variable There is no

increases, so does the increases, the other relationship between
other decreases the variables

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Topic 6 Lecture 4 – Scatter Graphs and Correlation Mathematical Techniques

Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.10

Weak And Strong

• The closer the points are to a straight line, the
stronger the correlation.
x x
xx x
x x
x x x
xx x
x
x
x x

Strong positive Weak positive

correlation correlation

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.11

Line Of Best Fit - 1

• This graph shows
that there is positive
correlation between
the number of ice
creams sold and the
hours of sunshine in
a day.

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.12

Line Of Best Fit - 2

• A line of best fit can be
drawn on the graph to
show the correlation.
• It can also be used to
predict the value of one
variable ggiven the value
of another.
• The line should be drawn
so that it is as close to
the points as possible
and has roughly the
same number of points
above it as below.

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Topic 6 Lecture 4 – Scatter Graphs and Correlation Mathematical Techniques

Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.13

Estimating Using The Line Of

Best Fit - 1
Using the line of best
fit, estimate how many
hours of sunshine
there are when 250 ice
creams are sold.

Answer: 6 hours

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.14

Estimating Using The Line Of

Best Fit - 2
Using the line of best
fit estimate how many
ice creams are sold
when there are 10
hours of sunshine.
sunshine

Answer: 380 ice

creams

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.15

Comparing Graphs With A

Common Axis - 1
• You have drawn 2 graphs:
- Number of ice creams sold and Number of hours of
sunshine
- Number of hot drinks and Number of hours of
sunshine
• Without drawing it, what would be the correlation
of the graph ‘Number of ice creams and Number
of hot drinks’?

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Topic 6 Lecture 4 – Scatter Graphs and Correlation Mathematical Techniques

Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.16

Comparing Graphs With A

Common Axis - 2
• Number of ice creams and Number of hours of
sunshine
- Positive correlation
• Number of hot drinks and Number of hours of
sunshine
hi
- Negative correlation
• Number of ice creams and number of hot drinks
would have negative correlation.
• As the number of ice creams increases, the number
of hot drinks decreases.

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.17

Rules For Comparing

The table below can be completed to show the correlation
when comparing 2 graphs with a common axis.

Positive No Negative
correlation correlation correlation
Positive
Positi e no
positive negative
correlation correlation
No no no no
correlation correlation correlation correlation
Negative no
negative positive
correlation correlation

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Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.18

Recap
• Describe the different types of correlation.
• What type of correlation would you expect with
these pairs of variables?
- Th
The h heights
i ht andd weights
i ht off a group off 11 year old
ld
girls.
- The heights of fathers and their eldest sons.
- The amount of time practising and the number of
errors in a spelling test.

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Topic 6 Lecture 4 – Scatter Graphs and Correlation Mathematical Techniques

Scatter Graphs and Correlation Topic 6 - 4.19

Topic 6 Lecture 4 - Scatter graphs and

correlation

Any questions?

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