Correlation vs Causation

Question 1

Jaden noticed that every time his school has a fire drill, it rains the next afternoon. Which of the following would best help him find out if the fire drill is actually causing the rain?

Accepted Answer

Change the fire drill schedule for a week and see whether rain still follows the drills.

Answer

Ask the teachers if they think fire drills bring rain.

Answer

Count how many students bring umbrellas to school each day.

Answer

Keep fire drills on the same schedule and just record when it rains.

Question 2

Tyler noticed that each week his class plays a short song before lunch, the classroom plants are a little taller the next week. Which of the following would give the strongest evidence that the song really makes the plants grow taller?

Accepted Answer

Measure plant height for several weeks with the song and for several weeks without the song, keeping water and sunlight the same each week.

Answer

Look at a picture of a tall plant from another school that also plays music and say that proves the music works.

Answer

Notice that on weeks when the song is played the teacher also waters the plants more, and decide the song is the cause.

Answer

Ask the classmates which week they think the plants grew the most and then say the song must be the reason.

Question 3

Rosa saw that every time her school holds a reading contest, the lunch menu the next day has pizza. Which plan would best help Rosa find out if the reading contest really makes the cafeteria serve pizza?

Accepted Answer

Record several weeks, some with a reading contest and some without, and compare how often pizza is served after each kind of week.

Answer

Ask the cafeteria workers what they think caused the pizza; their opinion will tell you if the contest causes pizza.

Answer

Because pizza appears after each contest, the contest must make the cafeteria decide to serve pizza.

Answer

Look at one week when there was a reading contest and pizza was served, and decide that the contest caused the pizza.

Try three questions

Jaden noticed that every time his school has a fire drill, it rains the next afternoon. Which of the following would best help him find out if the fire drill is actually causing the rain?

Tyler noticed that each week his class plays a short song before lunch, the classroom plants are a little taller the next week. Which of the following would give the strongest evidence that the song really makes the plants grow taller?

Rosa saw that every time her school holds a reading contest, the lunch menu the next day has pizza. Which plan would best help Rosa find out if the reading contest really makes the cafeteria serve pizza?

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