correlation

«correlation» in Mova's school dictionary: A connection or relationship between two things, where… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a correlation, correlations); verb correlate

meaning for a pupil

1) A connection or relationship between two things, where they change together. tree →

2) (maths, science) A measure of how closely two sets of numbers go up or down together, as shown on a scatter graph. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths and science lessons pupils draw scatter graphs and describe positive correlation (both go up), negative correlation (one goes up, the other down) or no correlation. A key idea: correlation does not prove causation. Phrases: "positive correlation", "negative correlation", "no correlation", "a strong correlation".

examples

• There is a positive correlation between height and shoe size. tree →
• The graph shows a negative correlation: as temperature rises, coat sales fall. tree →
• There was no correlation between hair colour and test scores. tree →
• Correlation does not mean one thing causes the other. tree →
• Scientists found a correlation between exercise and sleep. tree →

note

Spelling: double r. In maths, positive correlation = points slope upward; negative = points slope downward; no correlation = points scattered. A correlation alone does not prove one thing causes the other.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «correlation» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.