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Correlation

Definition

Correlation refers to the statistical relationship between two variables. If one variable changes, there tends to be a consistent change in the other variable too.

Analogy

Imagine dancing with a partner - when one person moves forward (variable 1), their partner also moves backward (variable 2). Their movements are connected but it doesn't mean one person moving causes the other person to move - they're just correlated!

Related terms

Positive Correlation: When both variables increase together or decrease together, much like synchronized swimmers performing identical movements at the same time.

Negative Correlation: When one variable increases while the other decreases, similar to how when you push down on one side of a seesaw, the other side goes up.

Coefficient of correlation (r): The numerical measure of correlation strength ranging from -1 (perfect negative correlation) through 0 (no correlation) to +1 (perfect positive correlation). Like scoring how well synchronized swimmers are performing together – closer they are to perfect synchronization, closer the score is to +1.