Scatter Plots for Kids: Positive, Negative or No Association (Grade 8 Math)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Today we are learning about scatter plots. A scatter plot uses dots to show two sets of data at once, so we can see if they are connected.

Each dot stands for one pair of numbers. This class recorded hours of study and test scores. A student who studied for two hours and scored seventy gets one dot at two across and seventy up.

When the dots rise from left to right, we call it a positive association. As one value goes up, the other tends to go up too. More study time usually goes with higher scores.

When the dots fall from left to right, it is a negative association. As one value goes up, the other tends to go down. On warmer days, a café sells fewer cups of hot chocolate.

Sometimes the dots are scattered everywhere with no pattern. That means there is no association. Shoe size and test score are not connected, so the dots do not rise or fall together.

When there is a pattern, we can draw a line of best fit. It runs through the middle of the dots, with about as many above as below. We can use it to predict. Three hours of study suggests a score near eighty.

Now it's your turn. As a car gets older, its price usually drops. What kind of association is that? Pause and try. As age goes up, price goes down, so it is a negative association.

Great job! Remember, each dot is one pair. Rising dots show a positive association, falling dots show a negative one, and a line of best fit helps us predict. Practice scatter plots in Middle School Math at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!