Final answer:
A correlation coefficient represents the strength and direction of the relationship between variables. The closer the coefficient is to 1 (positive or negative), the stronger the relationship.
Step-by-step explanation:
A correlation coefficient represents two things: strength and direction of the relationship. The number portion of the correlation coefficient indicates the strength of the relationship.
The closer the number is to 1 (be it negative or positive), the more strongly related the variables are, and the more predictable changes in one variable will be as the other variable changes.