Korelacije

Korelacije refer to the statistical relationship between two or more variables. It measures the extent to which variables change together. A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other tends to increase as well. Conversely, a negative correlation suggests that as one variable increases, the other tends to decrease. If there is no correlation, the variables appear to be independent of each other.

The strength of a correlation is typically measured by a correlation coefficient, which ranges from -1 to +1. A coefficient of +1 indicates a perfect positive linear relationship, while -1 signifies a perfect negative linear relationship. A coefficient of 0 suggests no linear relationship. Common measures include Pearson's correlation coefficient, which is used for continuous variables, and Spearman's rank correlation, which is used for ordinal data.

It is crucial to understand that correlation does not imply causation. Just because two variables are correlated does not mean that one causes the other. There might be a third, unobserved variable influencing both, or the relationship could be coincidental. For example, ice cream sales and drowning incidents are often positively correlated, but the increased sales of ice cream do not cause people to drown; both are influenced by warmer weather. Identifying causal relationships requires experimental design and further analysis beyond simple correlation.