Mathematics

Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

LESSON 17.3
Interpretation of a Scatter Plot
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Test Your Prerequisite Skills 2

DepEd Competency 2

Objectives 2

Warm-Up! 3

Learn about It! 3

Form of a Scatter Plot 4

Direction of a Scatter Plot 4

Let’s Practice 5

Check Your Understanding 11

Key Points 13

Bibliography 13
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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

Lesson 17.3
Interpretation of a Scatter Plot

Fig. 1. Students

Introduction
Let us say that you are conducting a study regarding the relationship between the IQ and EQ
of students. You gathered 30 students and gave them an IQ and EQ test. From there, you
were able to gather the results and plot them in a scatter plot. Now, how will you be able to
determine if there is a relationship between the two variables based on the scatter plot?
Certain characteristics must be observed in the scatter plot so that you can observe the kind
of relationship the two variables has.

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

In this lesson, you will learn how to interpret a scatter plot.

Test Your Prerequisite Skills

Before you get started, answer the following items on a separate sheet of paper. This will help
you assess your prior knowledge and practice some skills that you will need in studying this
lesson. Show your complete solution.

A. Plot the following data in a scatter plot.

𝑿 14 16 19 21 13 16 23 15
𝒀 32 35 30 28 25 31 33 30

DepEd Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to describe shape (form), trend
(direction), and variation (strength) based on a scatter plot (M11/12SP-IVg-4).

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Accurately define the form, direction, and variation of a scatter plot.

● Correctly describe the form, direction, and variation of a scatter plot.

● Correctly interpret a scatter plot.

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

Warm-Up!

Ready, Set, Plot!

Materials
● cartolina with drawn coordinate axes
● circle cutouts with written coordinates
● adhesive tape

Instructions
1. This activity should be done in groups of ten.
2. Each group should have coordinate axes taped on the board.
3. The members line up in a queue. Once the game starts, each student, one at a time,
randomly picks a circle cutout and then tapes it on the cartolina according to its
coordinates.
4. There should be 10 points to a plot per group.
5. The group with the fastest time and accurate scatter plot wins the game.

Learn about It!

The activity in Warm-Up! Results in a scatter plot as discussed in the previous lesson. We have
learned from the previous lesson how to construct a scatter plot from a given set of data. But
how do we interpret such a graph and make meaning out of it?

A scatter plot may be interpreted by looking at its form (or shape) and direction (or trend).

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

Form of a Scatter Plot

A scatter plot may appear linear or nonlinear. The linearity of the points in the scatter plot
tells whether an association exists between the two variables.

The first figure is a scatter plot that shows no association between the two variables. This can
be said because no pattern can be seen in the plot. The second figure is a scatter plot that
shows a nonlinear association. It can be seen in the graph that a curve pattern forms. The last
figure shows a scatter plot that shows a linear association. It appears that the points in the
graph follow a linear pattern.

Direction of a Scatter Plot

A scatter plot can also be interpreted by looking at its direction or trend. This can be seen
when a trend line is drawn in the scatter plot. A trend line is the line closest to the points in a
scatter plot. The direction of the trend line tells whether there is a positive or negative
correlation that exists between the two variables being observed. If the trend line falls to the
left and rises to the right, there is a positive correlation between the two variables. If the trend
line falls to the right and rises to the left, there is a negative correlation between the two
variables.

When a positive correlation exists between the two variables, it means that when one variable

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

increases in quantity, the other variable increases as well, and vice versa. When a negative
correlation exists between two variables, it means that when one variable increases in
quantity, the other variables decreases, and vice versa.

In the first figure above, the ages and weights of ten children in an area show a positive
correlation. We can say that as a child ages, he or she gains weight. In the second figure, the
number of foxes and deers in a certain forest for ten years shows a negative correlation. We
can say that as the number of foxes grows in number, the number of deers decreases.

Essential Questions
How does an outlier affect the form of a scatter plot?
How does an outlier affect the direction of a scatter plot?

Let’s Practice
Example 1
Construct a scatter plot of the following data, then describe its form.

𝑋 24 26 28 32 34 36 38

𝑌 5 7 8 8 10 13 15

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

Solution
Construct the 𝑥- and 𝑦-coordinate axes and label them based on the data. Then, plot the
points on the plane.

It can be observed that the scatter plot appears to be linear in form.

Try It Yourself!
Construct a scatter plot of the following data, then describe its form.

𝑿 18 20 24 30 33 35 40 45 50

𝒀 2 4 3 6 10 8 14 12 17

Example 2
Construct a scatter plot of the following data, then describe its direction.

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

𝑿 1 3 5 6 8 9 11

𝒀 15 18 21 23 25 27 30

Solution
Construct the 𝑥- and 𝑦-coordinates axes and label them based on the data. Then, plot the
points on the plane.

It can be observed that the trend line falls to the left and rises to the right. This tells us that
the two variables are correlated positively.

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

Try It Yourself!
Construct a scatter plot of the following data, then describe its direction.

𝑿 3 5 6 8 11 15 20

𝒀 30 27 24 22 21 18 16

Example 3
Construct a scatter plot of the following data, then describe its form and direction. Interpret
the scatter plot.

𝑿 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

𝒀 2 4 6 7 12 13 15 18

Solution
Construct the 𝑥- and 𝑦-coordinate axes and label them based on the data. Then, plot the
points on the plane.

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

It can be observed that the scatter plot appears to be linear in form. Moreover, its direction
falls to the left and rises to the right. This means that there is a positive linear correlation
between the two variables. Thus, as 𝑋 increases, the 𝑌 variable also increases, and vice versa.

Try It Yourself!
Construct a scatter plot of the following data, then describe its form and direction.
Interpret the scatter plot.

𝑿 6 10 12 13 16 18 20 22 28

𝒀 45 40 37 36 32 28 26 26 24

Real-World Problems
Example 4
A researcher wants to know if there is a relationship between the number of hours a student
studies every weekend and his/her grade. A random sample of ten students gives the
following data.

Number of Hours of Study 1.0 2.5 1.5 1.0 0.5 2.5 2.7 1.5 1.8 0.8

Grade 90 94 86 90 75 88 95 82 91 84

Construct a scatter plot of the data, then describe its form and direction. Interpret the scatter
plot.

Solution
Construct the 𝑥- and 𝑦-coordinates axes and label them based on the data. Then, plot the

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

points on the plane.

It can be observed that the scatter plot appears to be linear in form. Moreover, its direction
falls to the left and rises to the right. This means that there is a positive linear correlation
between the two variables. Thus, as the number of hours of study increases, the grade also
increases.

Try It Yourself!
The marketing department of a company wants to determine the relationship between the
amount they spend on marketing ads and the profit they gain. Construct a scatter plot of
the given data, then describe its form and direction. Interpret the scatter plot.

Amount Spent for Ads Profit Gain

(in thousands) (in thousands)
110 300
100 250

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

90 240
120 310
130 350
125 325
150 400

Check Your Understanding

A. Construct a scatter plot of the following data, then describe its form and direction.
1.

𝑿 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

𝒀 10 12 14 18 20 24 28

2.

𝑿 10 12 16 14 19 20 22 15

𝒀 12 16 26 29 30 28 28 24

3.

𝑿 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

𝒀 4 16 36 64 100 144 196 256

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

4.

Height (in cm) 144 150 155 160 159 171

Weight (in kg) 40 43 48 55 63 68

5.

Grade in English 82 84 88 91 93 95

Grade in Math 93 92 90 88 88 90

6.

Confidence Level 3 4 6 7 8 10

Final Grade 83 85 86 90 92 97

7.

Hours of Study 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Grade in Math 80 81 83 85 86 88 92 94

8.

Distance (in km) 0 50 100 150 200 250

Fuel Left (in liters) 80 70 60 50 40 30

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Grade 11 • Unit 17: Scatter Plot

Key Points

● A scatter plot is a graph of a collection of ordered pairs (𝑥, 𝑦) that refer to two
variables being observed or compared. It can be interpreted based on its form (or
shape) and direction (or trend).
● The form is the shape of a scatter plot. It may be linear or nonlinear, depending on
the pattern of the points.
● The direction is the trend of a scatter plot. It can be seen using the trend line, which
is the line closest to the points in the scatter plot. The direction of the trend line tells
whether there is a positive or negative correlation that exists between the two
variables being observed.
○ If the trend line rises from left to right, there is a positive correlation between
the two variables.
○ If the trend line falls from left to right, there is a negative correlation between
the two variables.

Bibliography
Bluman, Allen G., Elementary Statistics: A Step by Step Approach. New York: McGraw Hill
Education, 2013.

StatisticsHowTo. “Bivariate Analysis.” Accessed October 16, 2018.

http://www.statisticshowto.com/bivariate-analysis/.

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