Scatter Plots

How to create a scatter plot in Google Sheets

Step	Action
Step 1	Select two columns of data (first column will be graphed on the x-axis and second column will be graphed on the y-axis)
Step 2	Words in row 1 of the columns will be labels for x- and y-axis
Step 3	Select Insert Graph
Step 4	Under Chart Type Select Scatter
Step 5	Select Customize tab to edit the chart
Step 6	To add a trendline, select series and check trendline
Step 7	To add Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r), select series and check show R^2
Step 8	Change the min and max values on the axes by selecting Horizontal axis or Vertical axis and changing min and/or max values to new values

contributed by Sara Dalton

How to label the dots on a scatter plot in Google Sheets

Step	Action
Step 1	Create a scatter plot which includes three columns--two columns of data and a third column of labels
Step 2	X-axis is first column of data
Step 3	Series is second column of data
Step 4	Edit Series to add labels
Step 5	Under series, select or type in the range of the third column that contains the labels

Helpful hint: If some of the labels do not show up at the top of the chart, change the y axis by a half or one point and the data tags will become visible.

contributed by Sara Dalton edited by Paula Connolly

Image of different types of correlation

Image link: https://medium.com/@dipti.rohan.pawar/correlation-statistical-analysis-9471411f0431

contributed by Sara Dalton

Image of scatter plots associated with different values of r

Image link: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7631799/what-does-correlation-coefficient-actually-represent

contributed by Sara Dalton

What is a scatterplot?

A scatterplot shows the relationship between two quantitative variables measured on the same individuals. The values of one variable appear on the horizontal axis (x axis) and the values of the other variable appear on the vertical axis (y axis). Each individual in the data set appears as a point on the graph.

A quantitative variable takes number values that are quantities - counts or measurements. Number of people and household income are quantitative variables.

An individual is an object described in a set of data. Individuals can be people, animals, or things.

Scatterplots are the only choice for displaying the relationship between two quantitative variables. For a single quantitative variable, there are many choices for displaying its distribution, including dotplots, histograms, boxplots and stemplots.

Reference:

Daren, S. S., & Tabor, J. (2020). Updated version of the practice of Statistics (Teachers Edition) (Sixth Edition). W H FREEMAN & CO LTD.

contributed by Katie Ciskowski

Scatter Plots A type of graph that uses dots to represent values for two different numeric variables, showing the relationship (correlation, patterns, clusters, outliers) between them, with one variable on the x-axis (independent) and the other on the y-axis (dependent). It helps visualize whether variables increase together (positive correlation), decrease together (negative correlation), or show no clear pattern, revealing trends not evident in the raw data.

Key Components & How it Works

1. Variables: Two different continuous variables are used, one for the horizontal (x) axis and one for the vertical (y) axis. 2. Data Points: Each pair of (x, y) values from your data becomes a single dot on the graph. 3. Axes: The x-axis usually shows the independent variable (what you change), and the y-axis shows the dependent variable (what’s affected). What It Shows Positive Correlation Negative Correlation No Correlation Cluster/Gaps Outliers Trend Lines

Main Purpose of Scatter Plots

1) To visually test relationships or associations between variables, notes Coursera. 2) To identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in data. 3) To support or disprove hypotheses about how variables interact.

‘ ‘contributed by Jerry Velez’ ’