Math 1 · Unit 10 · Lesson 5 · part 1 of 5
The Words We Use
The vocabulary for this lesson, in one place.
Words we use
| Word | Plain English | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Association | A pattern between two quantities. | See it in a scatter plot. |
| Correlation | How strong the straight-line pattern is, measured by r. | It measures a pattern, not a reason. |
| Causation | One thing actually makes the other happen. | Needs a real reason and, to be sure, an experiment. |
| Lurking variable | A hidden third quantity that affects both. | Ask: what else could be driving both? |
| Coincidence | A pattern that happened by chance. | Ask: is there any possible connection? |
| Experiment | A planned test with randomly assigned groups: the way to show cause. | Change one thing, keep everything else the same. |