Graphical Display

A scatter plot shows the direction, strength, and shape of the relationship between two variables. If the direction of the points is from the lower left of the plot to the upper right, high values of one variable occur with high values of the other variable (a positive relationship). When points go from the upper left to the lower right, high values of one variable occur with low values of the other (a negative relationship).

A scatter plot can also be used to spot outliers and nonlinear association.

A scatter plot matrix enables you to compare the direction, strength, and shape of the relationships between a series of variables.

Topics: Enhancing the scatter plot matrix