Math Problem Statement

An automobile company is running a new television commercial in five cities with approximately the same population. The following table shows the number of times the commercial is run on TV in each city and the number of car sales (in hundreds). Find the Pearson correlation coefficient r for the data given in the table. Round any intermediate calculations to no less than six decimal places, and round your final answer to three decimal places.

Number of TV commercials, x 5 6 13 14 19 Car sales, y (in hundreds) 3 2 9 5 8

Solution

To calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient rr for the given data, we follow these steps:

Given dataTo calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient rr for the given data, we follow these steps:

Given

  • Number of TV commercials xx: 5, 6, 13, 14, 19
  • Car sales yy (in hundreds): 3, 2, 9, 5, 8

The Pearson correlation coefficient rr is calculated using the formula:

r=nxyxy(nx2(x)2)(ny2(y)2)r = \frac{n \sum xy - \sum x \sum y}{\sqrt{(n \sum x^2 - (\sum x)^2)(n \sum y^2 - (\sum y)^2)}}

Where:

  • nn is the number of data points (here n=5n = 5),
  • x\sum x is the sum of the xx-values,
  • y\sum y is the sum of the yy-values,
  • xy\sum xy is the sum of the product of each corresponding xx and yy-value,
  • x2\sum x^2 is the sum of the squares of the xx-values,
  • y2\sum y^2 is the sum of the squares of the yy-values.

Step 1: Compute the necessary sums

Let's calculate each sum:

x=5+6+13+14+19=57\sum x = 5 + 6 + 13 + 14 + 19 = 57 y=3+2+9+5+8=27\sum y = 3 + 2 + 9 + 5 + 8 = 27 xy=(5×3)+(6×2)+(13×9)+(14×5)+(19×8)=15+12+117+70+152=366\sum xy = (5 \times 3) + (6 \times 2) + (13 \times 9) + (14 \times 5) + (19 \times 8) = 15 + 12 + 117 + 70 + 152 = 366 x2=52+62+132+142+192=25+36+169+196+361=787\sum x^2 = 5^2 + 6^2 + 13^2 + 14^2 + 19^2 = 25 + 36 + 169 + 196 + 361 = 787 y2=32+22+92+52+82=9+4+81+25+64=183\sum y^2 = 3^2 + 2^2 + 9^2 + 5^2 + 8^2 = 9 + 4 + 81 + 25 + 64 = 183

Step 2: Plug the sums into the formula for rr

Now, we substitute the values into the Pearson correlation coefficient formula:

r=5×36657×27(5×787572)(5×183272)r = \frac{5 \times 366 - 57 \times 27}{\sqrt{(5 \times 787 - 57^2)(5 \times 183 - 27^2)}}

First, calculate the numerator:

5×366=18305 \times 366 = 1830 57×27=153957 \times 27 = 1539 18301539=2911830 - 1539 = 291

Next, calculate the denominator:

5×787=39355 \times 787 = 3935 572=324957^2 = 3249 39353249=6863935 - 3249 = 686

5×183=9155 \times 183 = 915 272=72927^2 = 729 915729=186915 - 729 = 186

Now, calculate the square root part:

686×186=127596357.133286\sqrt{686 \times 186} = \sqrt{127596} \approx 357.133286

Finally, calculate rr:

r=291357.1332860.815r = \frac{291}{357.133286} \approx 0.815

Final answer:

The Pearson correlation coefficient is approximately r=0.815r = 0.815.

Would you like more details or have any questions?


Here are five related questions:

  1. What does a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.815 signify about the relationship between TV commercials and car sales?
  2. How can the correlation coefficient be interpreted in the context of marketing strategies?
  3. What would a negative correlation coefficient indicate in this scenario?
  4. How can one improve the accuracy of predictions based on the correlation coefficient?
  5. What are some limitations of using Pearson's correlation in analyzing this data?

Tip: When interpreting the Pearson correlation, remember that correlation does not imply causation—it only measures the strength of a linear relationship between two variables.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Statistics
Correlation
Linear Relationships

Formulas

Pearson correlation coefficient formula: r = (nΣxy - ΣxΣy) / sqrt[(nΣx² - (Σx)²)(nΣy² - (Σy)²)]

Theorems

Pearson's Correlation Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 11-12, College level