Fast food is often considered unhealthy because much of it is high in both fat and calories.But are the two related? Here are the fat (in grams)and calories contents of several brands of burgers.If the fat was recorded in kilograms,how would this change the correlation? Suppose the relation is linear. $$\begin{array} { c | c }
\text { Fat } ( \mathrm { g } ) & \text { Calories } \
\hline 20 & 410 \
35 & 570 \
36 & 590 \
39 & 580 \
41 & 650 \
42 & 680 \
45 & 660
\end{array}$$
A)Yes: the two variables do not have the same units.
B)No: the relation is linear.
C)Yes: correlation changes with change of units.
D)No: correlation changes with change of units.
E)No: correlation does not change with change of units.

Question

Fast food is often considered unhealthy because much of it is high in both fat and calories.But are the two related? Here are the fat (in grams)and calories contents of several brands of burgers.If the fat was recorded in kilograms,how would this change the correlation? Suppose the relation is linear. $$\begin{array} { c | c } 
\text { Fat } ( \mathrm { g } ) & \text { Calories } \
\hline 20 & 410 \
35 & 570 \
36 & 590 \
39 & 580 \
41 & 650 \
42 & 680 \
45 & 660
\end{array}$$
A)Yes: the two variables do not have the same units.
B)No: the relation is linear.
C)Yes: correlation changes with change of units.
D)No: correlation changes with change of units.
E)No: correlation does not change with change of units.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Correlation measures the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables, and it does not depend on the units of measurement. Converting fat from grams to kilograms is simply dividing by a constant (1000), which does not affect the correlation coefficient.

Fast Food Is Often Considered Unhealthy Because Much of It