Final answer:
The correlation coefficient (r) for the given x, y data pairs is approximately 0.0157.
Explanation:
The correlation coefficient (r) is a statistical measure that indicates the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables. To calculate it, we first find the means of x and y. Then, for each pair of x and y values, we calculate the deviations from their respective means and multiply these deviations. Summing up these products gives us the numerator, while the denominator involves squaring the deviations for x and y, summing them separately, and taking the square root of their product.
Upon applying this formula to the provided data pairs—(39, 86), (98, 79), (86, 8), (24, 25), and (25, 70)—the correlation coefficient (r) is determined to be approximately 0.0157. This value indicates an extremely weak positive linear relationship between the variables. Such a low value of r signifies that there's almost no correlation or relationship between the given x and y values in a linear sense.
The process of calculating the correlation coefficient involves intricate mathematical operations that quantify the relationship between variables, helping in understanding the degree to which changes in one variable may be associated with changes in another. In this instance, the near-zero value of r suggests a lack of linear relationship between the x and y data pairs.