On the Mathematics of Simple Correlation
COY D. SMITH · Mathematics Magazine · 1958
Introduction. The method of correlation is one of the large fields in applied mathematics. Discussions appear in books and periodicals covering a wide range of apparently different objectives. In some cases the proper meaning 'and use of results is not clear.' Workers who are not mathematically trained may find difficulty in planning a problem so that proper interpretations may be assigned to measures of correlation. If we begin with the original definition of correlation the mathematics involved is elementary and an exposition of the mathematical developments should lead to a clearer understanding of the place of the measures of correlation in applied problems. In this paper we firstgive a general statementof the problem and then the formulas for measuring correlation are developed beginning with Karl Pearson's original definition.