Understanding Correlation for Sports Fans

Correlation describes the relationship between two variables. It is a statistical measure that expresses the extent to which two variables are related in a linear (following a line) fashion.

There are many applications of correlation in sports. Studies have been done to explore the correlation between variables such as:

· Body composition and sports injuries

· Strength training and athletic success

· Sports lifestyle and physical health

· Playing sports and confidence, body image, academic performance. and personal relationships

· Sports participation and academic success

This workbook explains the basics of correlation and shows how to represent and interpret correlation information in scatter plots. It also shows how to calculate the widely used Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

This workbook is intended to supplement text books used to teach Correlation and includes seven pages of introductory material followed by twelve examples and word problems. These examples and word problems use real world data from the sports of basketball and baseball to make them more meaningful to sports fans. Complete solutions, not just answer keys, are included for every problem.