MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World

Module #15 Student Activity Sheet

Name: ________________________________ __ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: _______________ Date: ________________

Lesson title: Computing Linear Relationships using Materials:

Pearson Correlation Coefficient SAS, calculator

Learning Targets: References:

At the end of the module, students will be able to: Introduction to Statistics 3rd Ed. By
1. Compute the Pearson-r correlation coefficient. Ronald E. Walpole
2. Interpret linear relationship using Pearson-r correlation Elementary Statistics by Altares, P. et al.
coefficient. Basic Statistics with Probability by
Mercado-Del Rosario, a. (2005)
www.stattrek.com

A. LESSON PREVIEW/ REVIEW

Introduction

Correlation coefficients are used in statistics to measure how strong a relationship is between two
variables (at least an interval scale). There are several types of correlation coefficients: Pearson’s correlation
(also called Pearson-r) is a correlation coefficient commonly used in a linear relationship. For example, you could
use a Pearson-r correlation to understand whether there is an association between exam performance and time
spent studying in a coffee shop. Pearson’s correlation attempts to draw a line of best fit through the data of two
variables, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) indicates how far away all these data points are from this line
of best fit.

B. MAIN LESSON

Content Notes

Directions: In this activity, you need to read and underline or highlight keywords for you to keep in mind some
essential terms/ words used in the content notes.

Pearson Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation, r Formula

𝑛Σ𝑥𝑦 − Σ𝑥 Σ𝑦
𝑟=
√[𝑛Σ𝑥 2 −(Σ𝑥)2 ] [𝑛Σ𝑦2 −(Σy)2 ]

where;
r = Pearson Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation
x = the observed data for the independent variable
y = the observed data for the dependent variable
Σ𝑥𝑦 = the summation of the product x and y
Σ𝑥 Σ𝑦 = the product of the summation of x and the summation of y
Σ𝑥 2 = summation of the squares of x
Σ𝑦 2 = summation of the squares of y

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #15 Student Activity Sheet

Name: ________________________________ __ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: _______________ Date: ________________

The stronger the association of the two variables, the closer the Pearson correlation coefficient, r, will
be to either +1 or -1 depending on whether the relationship is positive or negative, respectively. Achieving a
value of +1 or -1 means that all your data points are included on the line of best fit – there are no data points
that show any variation away from this line. Values for r between +1 and -1 (for example, r = 0.8 or -0.4)
indicate that there is variation around the line of best fit. The closer the value of r to 0 the greater the variation
around the line of best fit.

r Interpretation
±1.00 → Perfect positive/ negative correlation
±0.91 – 0.99 → Very high positive/ negative correlation
±0.71 – 0.90 → High positive/ negative correlation
±0.51 – 0.70 → Moderately positive/ negative correlation
±0.31 – 0.50 → Low positive/ negative correlation
±0.01 – 0.30 → Very low positive/ negative correlation
0.00 → No correlation

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #15 Student Activity Sheet

Name: ________________________________ __ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: _______________ Date: ________________

Example. Computing Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r)

Below are the PG1 grades (x) and PG2 grades (y) of selected students. Compute for the Pearson
Correlation Coefficient.
Student x y
1 75 80
2 70 75
3 65 65
4 90 95
5 85 90
6 85 85
7 80 90
8 70 75

In order to solve the Pearson’s r conveniently, we must add columns and rows to solve for the other
notations in the formula in solving Pearson’s correlation coefficient. That is xy, x², and y².
x y xy 𝒙𝟐 𝒚𝟐
75 80 6000 5625 6400
70 75 5250 4900 5625
65 65 4225 4225 4225
90 95 8550 8100 9025
85 90 7650 7225 8100
85 85 7225 7225 7225
80 90 7200 6400 8100
70 75 5250 4900 5625
∑x = 620 ∑y = 655 ∑xy = 51350 ∑𝑥 = 48600
2
∑𝑦 =54325
2

To compute the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, use the formula;

𝑛Σ𝑥𝑦 − Σ𝑥 Σ𝑦
𝑟=
√[𝑛Σ𝑥 2 −(Σ𝑥)2 ] [𝑛Σ𝑦 2 −(Σy)2 ]

8(51,350) − (620)(655)
=
√[8(48,600) − (620)2 ] [8(54,325)− (655)2 ]

410,800 − 406,100
=
√[(388,800) − (384,400)] [(434,600) −(429,025)]
4,700
=
√(4,400) (5,575)

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #15 Student Activity Sheet

Name: ________________________________ __ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: _______________ Date: ________________

4,700
=
√24,530,000
4,700
=
4,952.78
𝒓 = 𝟎. 𝟗𝟓

Interpretation: There is a very high positive correlation between the PG1 and PG2 grades.
This means that the grades in PG2 is very highly associated by the grades in PG1. The trend shows
that those students who get high scores in PG1 will most likely get high score in PG2.

Pearson r: Assumptions:
• Correlation requires that both variables be quantitative.
• Correlation describes linear relationships. Correlation does not describe curve relationships between
variables, no matter how strong the relationship is.

Cautions:
• Correlation is not resistant. r is strongly affected by outliers.
• Correlation is not a complete summary of two-variable data.

Check for Understanding

Compute and interpret the correlation coefficient for the following data.

1. Suppose we want to find out if a relationship exists between the height and weight of 12 college students.
Student X Height (cm) Y Weight (kg) XY X2 Y2
1 170 72
2 172 70
3 158 60
4 165 73
5 180 85
6 195 98
7 183 78
8 175 76
9 182 82
10 190 90
11 165 75
12 184 80

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #15 Student Activity Sheet

Name: ________________________________ __ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: _______________ Date: ________________

2. The owner of a chain of fruit shake stores would like to study the correlation between atmospheric
temperature and sales during the summer season. A random sample of 12 days is selected with the
results given as follows:

Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Temperature (°F) 79 76 78 84 90 83 93 94 97 85 88 82
Total Sales (Units) 147 143 147 168 206 155 192 211 209 187 200 150

C. LESSON WRAP-UP

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Pearson correlation affected by outliers?

• Pearson's correlation coefficient, r, is very sensitive to outliers, which can have a very large
effect on the line of best fit and the Pearson correlation coefficient. This means — including
outliers in your analysis can lead to misleading results.
2. What are the 5 types of correlation?
• Types of Correlation:
- Positive, Negative or Zero Correlation
- Linear or Curvilinear Correlation
- Scatter Diagram Method
- Pearson's Product Moment Co-efficient of Correlation:
- Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient 3) Can correlation be expressed as a percentage?
3. What are the limits of the correlation coefficient?
• The correlation coefficient is a statistical measure of the strength of the relationship between the
relative movements of two variables. The values range between -1.0 and 1.0. A calculated
number greater than 1.0 or less than -1.0 means that there was an error in the correlation
measurement.

Thinking about Learning

This time, let’s end the module activities by answering the following questions about your learning experience.

What felt confusing about what you learned today? Why?

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 MAT 152: Mathematics in the Modern World
Module #15 Student Activity Sheet

Name: ________________________________ __ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: _______________ Date: ________________

What motivated you to finish the lesson today?

Answer Key
1. r = 0.92, we can conclude that the heights and weights of the 12 college students in the sample are
having a very high positive correlation.
Student X Height Y Weight XY X2 Y2
(cm) X (kg) Y
1 170 72 12240 28900 5184
2 172 70 12040 29584 4900
3 158 60 9480 24964 3600
4 165 73 12045 27225 5329
5 180 85 15300 32400 7225
6 195 98 19110 38025 9604
7 183 78 14274 33489 6084
8 175 76 13300 30625 5776
9 182 82 14924 33124 6724
10 190 90 17100 36100 8100
11 165 75 12375 27225 5625
12 184 80 14720 33856 6400
2119 939 166908 375517 74551

2. the coefficient correlation, r = 0.93, between the atmospheric temperature and total sales indicates a
very high positive correlation – that is an increase in atmospheric temperature is highly associated with
the increased in total sales of fruit shakes.
Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
x 79 76 78 84 90 83 93 94 97 85 88 82 1,029

y 147 143 147 168 206 155 192 211 209 187 200 150 2,115

xy 11613 10868 11466 14112 18540 12865 17856 19834 20273 15895 17600 12300 183,222

x² 6241 5776 6084 7056 8100 6889 8649 8836 9409 7225 7744 6724 88,733

y² 21609 20449 21609 28224 42436 24025 36864 44521 43681 34969 40000 22500 380,887

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