Final answer:
The difference between a time-series plot and a scatter plot is that a time-series plot shows how a variable changes over time with the horizontal axis as time, while a scatter plot shows the relationship between two different variables without considering time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Difference Between Time-Series Plot and Scatter Plot
The primary difference between a time-series plot and a scatter plot is how they display data with respect to time. A time-series plot is designed to show how a variable changes over a specified time period. It employs a standard Cartesian coordinate system with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the variable being measured. The points plotted on a time-series graph are connected by straight lines to illustrate the trend or pattern of the data over time.
In contrast, a scatter plot is used to demonstrate the relationship between two different variables, where each point on the graph represents one observation in the dataset without any consideration for time. The horizontal axis and the vertical axis in a scatter plot represent two separate variables. Scatter plots are particularly useful for identifying the type of relationship, such as linear or non-linear, between the variables.
For instance, time-series graphs can show patterns as time changes, like the unemployment rate over time, which would be represented as a line graph, making it an effective format for illustrating relationships where one variable is time. On the other hand, if we wanted to compare the number of hours studied and the test scores of students without focusing on the time element, we would use a scatter plot.