Question

select the correct answer.
what is the strongest relationship you can infer between two variables from this statement?
the number of minutes you can talk on a cell phone decreases as the phone’s battery charge decreases.

a. causation

b. correlation

c. association

d. no relationship

Explanation:

1. First, understand the definitions:

• Causation means one variable directly causes a change in another. Here, the battery charge decreasing directly causes the talk time to decrease (as battery charge is the source of energy for the phone to function for calls), so there's a causal relationship.
• Correlation is a statistical relationship without implying causation, but here the relationship is causal.
• Association is a general term for a relationship, but causation is a stronger type of association here.
• Option D is incorrect as there is a relationship.

1. Since the decrease in battery charge (the cause) leads to the decrease in talk time (the effect), causation is the strongest relationship here.

Answer:

A. causation