A scatter plot displays paired observations as points on coordinate axes. Use it in exploratory data analysis to see relationships that summary statistics can conceal. section 6.1.3
Use scatter plots to:
- Compare how two variables relate across their ranges. section 6.1.3
- Expose clustering, gaps, outliers, and uneven dispersal that aggregate measures may hide. section 6.1.3
- Check whether random sampling may miss important parts of a relationship before modeling. section 6.1.3
Anscombe’s Quartet and tips versus bills
Anscombe’s Quartet shows that datasets can share means and Pearson correlation while having different plotted structures. Tips-versus-bills data reveals substantial dispersal rather than a uniformly linear relationship. section 6.1.3 section 6.1.3
Figure 6.1 Anscombe’s Quartet. Anscombe.svg: Schutz (label using subscripts): Avenue, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Inspect the four plots side by side to compare identical summary values with visibly different data relationships. section 6.1.3
