Correlation vs Causation
by Anonymous
Change temperature and ice-cream sales separately to see that two lines rising together don't prove cause — a hidden factor can move both.
About this app
Correlation vs Causation is an interactive data-literacy activity for exploring why two variables can move together without one causing the other. Using temperature, ice cream sales, and swimming accidents, it guides learners through month-to-month comparisons, controlled changes, and examples involving studying, foot size, reading skill, town names, and rain.
Use cases
- Students learning introductory statistics and data literacy
- Teachers explaining correlation, causation, and confounding variables
- Learners practicing critical thinking about graphs and patterns
- Parents introducing children to evidence-based reasoning
Features
- Compare ice cream sales and swimming accidents across consecutive months
- Complete missions involving both variables rising, falling, and changing across all months
- Change temperature to observe its effect on both ice cream sales and accidents
- Add ice cream sales without changing accident counts to test a causal claim
- Evaluate four scenarios as causation, a hidden factor, or coincidence
- Reset activities and advance through guided interactive steps