This function allows you to pass in x and y parameters, as well as the kind of a plot we want to create. However, in the pure sense, while a scatter plot can reveal the nature and extent of correlation, it says nothing about causation. To make a scatter plot in Pandas, we can apply the. The maximum possible negative correlation is -1 or -100%, in which case all the points lie exactly along a straight line with a negative slope.Ĭorrelation is often confused with causation, either accidentally (as a result of false or unproved hypotheses) or deliberately (with intent to deceive). The maximum possible positive correlation is +1 or +100%, when all the points in a scatter plot lie exactly along a straight line with a positive slope.

If it is impossible to establish either of the above criteria, then the correlation is zero.

If the y-axis variable decreases as the x-axis variable increases or vice-versa, the correlation is negative.

If the vertical (or y-axis) variable increases as the horizontal (or x-axis) variable increases, the correlation is positive.

Scatter plots are useful data visualization tools for illustrating a trend.īesides showing the extent of correlation, a scatter plot shows the sense of the correlation: If a large correlation exists, the points concentrate near a straight line.

If no correlation exists between the variables, the points appear randomly scattered on the coordinate plane. Scatter plots are important in statistics because they can show the extent of correlation, if any, between the values of observed quantities or phenomena (called variables). A scatter plot is a set of points plotted on a horizontal and vertical axes.