Asked by b

The number of grams of zero-calorie sodium in a restaurant meal is compared to the total number of calories in the meal. The correlation coefficient relating the two variables is 0.74.

Which best describes the strength of the correlation, and what is true about the causation between sodium and the number of calories in this meal?

It is a weak positive correlation, and it is not likely causal.
It is a weak positive correlation, and it is likely causal.
It is a strong positive correlation,and it is not likely causal.
It is a strong positive correlation, and it is likely causal.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
It is a strong positive correlation, and it is not likely causal.

Reason: r = 0.74 indicates a fairly strong positive association, but correlation does not imply causation — sodium content and calories may be related because of common factors (type/processing of foods), not because sodium causes calories.