In the context of correlations, what does a coefficient of -1 indicate?

In the context of correlations, what does a coefficient of -1 indicate?

• A. No relationship at all
• B. A strong positive relationship
• C. A strong negative relationship
• D. An average relationship

Answer: (C)

A correlation coefficient of -1 indicates a strong negative relationship between two variables. This means that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases in a consistent manner. The strength of the relationship is such that it reflects a perfect inverse association, where the data points form a straight line with a negative slope on a graph. For instance, if you were to analyze the relationship between temperature and the need for heating in a home, you might find that as the temperature rises, the demand for heating decreases. A coefficient of -1 would suggest that this relationship is not just strong, but perfectly inversely proportional across the dataset, implying no exceptions or deviations from this trend.

A correlation coefficient of -1 indicates a strong negative relationship between two variables. This means that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases in a consistent manner. The strength of the relationship is such that it reflects a perfect inverse association, where the data points form a straight line with a negative slope on a graph.

For instance, if you were to analyze the relationship between temperature and the need for heating in a home, you might find that as the temperature rises, the demand for heating decreases. A coefficient of -1 would suggest that this relationship is not just strong, but perfectly inversely proportional across the dataset, implying no exceptions or deviations from this trend.