225k views
3 votes
Which of the following values indicates the strongest relation between two variables?

1) r = 1.01
2) r = -0.8
3) r = -1.6
4) r = 0.2

User Blejzer
by
7.5k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The strongest relation between two variables from the given choices is indicated by the value of r = -0.8, which represents a strong negative linear relationship. Values of r outside the range of -1 to 1 are not valid correlation coefficients.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correlation coefficient, denoted as r, indicates the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. It ranges from -1 to 1, where 1 or -1 represents a perfect linear relationship, and 0 means there is no linear relationship at all.

From the given options, the value of r must be between -1 and 1, thus values 1.01 and -1.6 are not possible correlation coefficients and can be eliminated. Between the remaining options, -0.8 and 0.2, the value closer to -1 or 1 would indicate a stronger relationship. Therefore, the correlation coefficient of -0.8 denotes a stronger, albeit negative, linear relationship compared to the correlation coefficient of 0.2, which indicates a very weak positive relationship.