Dots in a Graph

We have been learning a lot about graphs lately...and I find scatter plots very interesting!  Scatter plots represent the relationship between two sets of data.  Instead of bars and lines, scatter plots use dots to show the data points.  Within the scatter plot, there can be a trend line.  A trend line is a line that can closely fit the majority of the data.

This scatter plot is an example of a positive trend line. 

As you can see, the dots look like they are getting higher.  They are traveling upward and increasing.  This is why it is considered a positive correlation scatter plot.

In addition to the positive scatter plot, we also have a negative scatter plot.

This is considered a negative correlation scatter plot.  If we look at the direction of the line, you can see that it is heading downward.  The numbers are decreasing as you follow the line.  The trend line for this graph would follow the dots and be considered a negative trend line.

Positive and negative correlation are not the only type of scatter plots, there is also no correlation.

In this particular scatter plot, the dots are not in any order.  We couldn't use a trend line (like we were talking about earlier) because we couldn't create a line for the majority of the data.  This scatter plot doesn't look like it is positive or negative.  That is why scatter plots, such as the one above, have no correlation.

Here is a site that gives examples about each type of scatter plot.  I found it very helpful and interesting!

Have a great day!

Scatter Plot pictures found here.