Lesson 2.9c: Patterns in X-Y Space
Lesson
Introduction - Find Meaning in Patterns These lessons review some patterns that are often found in graphs, what the patterns may mean, and how we can help students describe and talk about the patterns in more detail. We will explore the following patterns that often show up in different kinds of analyses: Lesson 2.9a: Patterns along one axis, Lesson 2.9b: Patterns in group comparisons, Lesson 2.9c: Patterns in X-Y space, and Lesson 2.9d: Patterns in change through time In this lesson, we will review Patterns in X-Y Space. When students plot two quantitative attributes in X-Y space, it is often to see if there is any evidence about how, and to what extent, the attributes co-vary with one another. Key Concepts for Students: Identifying whether a relationship is positive or negative helps students to make sense of the direction of the relationship; Identifying if a linear or nonlinear pattern is observable in the data indicates the kind of relationship that may exist between the attributes; Reviewing how closely the points are clustered around a line indicates the strength of the correlation or relatonship betwee the attributes. This section summarizes patterns in X-Y scatter plots that are described in more detail in Lesson 2.5 Key Words: Correlation, Covariation, Linear, Nonlinear, Relationship
Topics and standards: Comparing Groups