Question

name
date
period

1. leisure activities the table shows the average number of minutes a person reads per weekday and the average number of minutes a person watches television per weekday.

age	15	25	35	45	55	65
minutes watching television	117	115	113	127	155	236

a. graph the ordered pairs as a scatter plot (minutes reading, minutes watching television).

b. does the scatter plot show a positive, negative, or no correlation. explain.

c. determine whether the data illustrate a correlation or causation. what other factors may influence the data.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify ordered pairs

Ordered pairs: $(7,117), (9,115), (12,113), (17,127), (30,155), (50,236)$

Step2: Plot points on scatter plot

• Label x-axis: "Minutes Reading" (scale 0-55)
• Label y-axis: "Minutes Watching Television" (scale 0-240)
• Plot each ordered pair on the grid.

b. As the minutes spent reading increase, the minutes spent watching television also increases. This upward trend indicates a positive correlation.
c. The data shows correlation, not causation. Reading more does not directly cause someone to watch more television. Age is a key influencing factor: older individuals in the dataset both read more and watch more television, so age drives both variables. Other factors could include free time availability, work/school schedule, or personal leisure preferences.

Answer:

a. (Scatter plot with x-axis "Minutes Reading", y-axis "Minutes Watching Television", and points plotted at $(7,117), (9,115), (12,113), (17,127), (30,155), (50,236)$)
b. Positive correlation
c. The data shows correlation (not causation). Age, free time, and personal preferences are influencing factors.