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Spurious correlation #2,347 · View random

A linear line chart with years as the X-axis and two variables on the Y-axis. The first variable is Number of public school students in 9th grade and the second variable is The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine.  The chart goes from 2003 to 2022, and the two variables track closely in value over that time. Small Image
Download png
, svg

AI explanation

As the number of 9th graders in public schools increased, so did the sheer volume of mysterious, long-forgotten items stashed in school storage closets. Many of these items turned out to be hazardous materials, prompting a surge in demand for removal workers in Maine. It's an unexpected case of education directly contributing to the job market, as the 9th graders unwittingly set off a chain reaction of cleanup and discovery!

Model: dalle-3
Prompt: [ Cute 2D animation ] In a bustling 9th-grade classroom, eager students engage in science experiments and art projects. Colorful spills and unexpected messes cover the space, creating a chaos of bright hues. Amidst this lively scene, determined hazardous materials removal workers in Maine swiftly navigate through the colorful chaos. Donning their protective gear, they skillfully manage the spills, creating a harmonious balance amidst the organized chaos. This lively depiction vividly represents the surge in both 9th-grade students and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. The depiction should include only scenes, people, and objects, it should not include text or speech bubbles.
This image generation prompt was also generated by AI, using the following sequence:

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You select one of a few potential scene descriptors that seems to go along with the variables described. You respond only with the scene descriptions provided and say nothing else.
User prompt: Here are two variables: Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. Given these, which of the following image style descriptions seems most appropriate? Pick the one that seems to be related to one of the variables at hand. Please respond with only one of the following potential descriptions: Cute 2D animation Glitch art inspired by bauhaus Celtic art Art nouveau
ChatGPT: Cute 2D animation

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You describe simple visual scenes that depict the two variables stated. You combine both variables into one scene.
User prompt: Please describe a visual scene that prominently depicts both Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine, in the following situation: As the 9th graders tested out different science experiments and art projects, there was a drastic increase in unexpected hazardous material spills and messes. This led to a surge in demand for hazardous materials removal workers in Maine, as they were the only ones brave enough to tackle the colorful chaos created by the burgeoning young academics. In an unexpected twist, the 9th graders inadvertently sparked a statewide demand for the masters of mess management.. Keep the description simple.
ChatGPT: In a bustling 9th-grade classroom filled with eager students tinkering with science experiments and art projects, colorful spills and unexpected messes covered the space. As the chaos unfolded, an equal number of determined hazardous materials removal workers in Maine swiftly navigated through the colorful chaos, donning their protective gear and skillfully managing the spills. The organized chaos was a vivid representation of the surge in both the number of 9th-grade public school students and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in Maine.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You write and improve image generation prompts for DALLE-3. You maintain the same subjects, but enhance the visuals.
User prompt: Please respond with an image generation prompt that would be likely to create an interesting visual using DALLE-3, using the following style: [ Cute 2D animation ] and depicting this scene: In a bustling 9th-grade classroom filled with eager students tinkering with science experiments and art projects, colorful spills and unexpected messes covered the space. As the chaos unfolded, an equal number of determined hazardous materials removal workers in Maine swiftly navigated through the colorful chaos, donning their protective gear and skillfully managing the spills. The organized chaos was a vivid representation of the surge in both the number of 9th-grade public school students and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. Keep the visual depiction simple. Do not include any words or speech bubbles.
ChatGPT: [ Cute 2D animation ] In a bustling 9th-grade classroom, eager students engage in science experiments and art projects. Colorful spills and unexpected messes cover the space, creating a chaos of bright hues. Amidst this lively scene, determined hazardous materials removal workers in Maine swiftly navigate through the colorful chaos. Donning their protective gear, they skillfully manage the spills, creating a harmonious balance amidst the organized chaos. This lively depiction vividly represents the surge in both 9th-grade students and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in Maine.

*Variations in the User Prompts from chart to chart are just the result of random number generation in Python. I wrote a few arrays of various styles and methods to ask questions to change up the results. Every time this site writes an explanation or generates an image, the script picks from each at random.

I sequence the requests into multiple prompts because I find GPT 3.5 to perform much better with short, well-managed contexts. Thus, I track the context directly in Python and only ask ChatGPT targeted questions.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106 (fine-tuned)
System prompt: You provide humorous responses in the form of plausible sounding explanations for correlations. You assume the correlation is causative for the purpose of the explanation even if it is ridiculous. You do not chat with the user, you only reply with the causal connection explanation and nothing else.
User prompt: Please make up a funny explanation for how increases in Number of public school students in 9th grade positively influenced The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine.

AI academic paper

(Because p < 0.01)
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

The Journal of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health

Jan 2024

Reminder: This paper is AI-generated. Not real!
Quick note: This sequence is long and repetitive. That's how the prompt engineering works for this one. I manage the output in Python to format it into this PDF.




Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.You write titles and abstracts of goofy academic research papers.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, and add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please draft the title and abstract of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Make the title punny if you can come up with clever pun. If not, make it sound serious.

Your research team used data from National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Larbor Statistics to assess this nagging question. You found a correlation coefficient of 0.8566737 and p < 0.01 for 2003 to 2022.

Please respond in this format (replace "Lorem ipsum dolor sit" with your title and abstract)

[[TITLE]]
Lorem ipsum dolor sit

[[ABSTRACT]]
Lorem ipsum dolor sit



ChatGPT:
[[TITLE]]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.

Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.

The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.You draft the introduction section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the introduction section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences. Stay serious and dry most of the time, but then occasionally let your wit shine through.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.

Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.

The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[INTRODUCTION]]



ChatGPT:
[[INTRODUCTION]]

The labor market is a complex web of interconnected factors, constantly influenced by demographic changes, economic trends, and regulatory developments. One such intriguing connection emerges when we consider the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the state of Maine. It's almost as unexpected as finding a hidden treasure chest in a landfill - a correlation that deserves a closer examination.

As the old saying goes, "One person's trash is another person's treasure," and in this case, we set out to determine if the influx of 9th graders in Maine's public school system could indeed be a harbinger for the demand of hazardous materials removal workers. Our investigation into this matter is as curious as a cat sniffing around a chemical spill site.

This study represents a departure from traditional labor market analyses, venturing into uncharted territories akin to a hazardous materials removal worker exploring an abandoned industrial site. By leveraging data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we sought to unravel the mystery behind this seemingly unusual correlation, which fits together like a puzzle made from toxic waste barrels.

The question we set out to answer is as puzzling as a riddle wrapped in an enigma: is there a relationship between the number of 9th graders entering Maine's public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state? Or as some might put it, are 9th graders indirectly shaping the hazardous materials industry in Maine - a phenomenon we might as well term "Grade-induced Decontamination Demand"?


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.You draft a literature review section of an academic research paper, that starts out dry for the first few sentences but then becomes hilarious and goofy.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up a literature review section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Speak in the present tense for this section (the authors find...), as is common in academic research paper literature reviews. Name the sources in a format similar to this: In "Book," the authors find lorem and ipsum.

Make up the lorem and ipsum part, but make it sound related to the topic at hand.

Start by naming serious-sounding studies by authors like Smith, Doe, and Jones - but then quickly devolve. Name some real non-fiction books that would be related to the topic. Then name some real fiction books that sound like they could be related. Perhaps you also got inspiration from some board games that are vaugely related.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.

Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.

The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.

-------

And here is the introduction section that led to this literature review:
[[INTRODUCTION]]
The labor market is a complex web of interconnected factors, constantly influenced by demographic changes, economic trends, and regulatory developments. One such intriguing connection emerges when we consider the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the state of Maine. It's almost as unexpected as finding a hidden treasure chest in a landfill - a correlation that deserves a closer examination.
As the old saying goes, "One person's trash is another person's treasure," and in this case, we set out to determine if the influx of 9th graders in Maine's public school system could indeed be a harbinger for the demand of hazardous materials removal workers. Our investigation into this matter is as curious as a cat sniffing around a chemical spill site.
This study represents a departure from traditional labor market analyses, venturing into uncharted territories akin to a hazardous materials removal worker exploring an abandoned industrial site. By leveraging data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we sought to unravel the mystery behind this seemingly unusual correlation, which fits together like a puzzle made from toxic waste barrels.
The question we set out to answer is as puzzling as a riddle wrapped in an enigma: is there a relationship between the number of 9th graders entering Maine's public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state? Or as some might put it, are 9th graders indirectly shaping the hazardous materials industry in Maine - a phenomenon we might as well term "Grade-induced Decontamination Demand"?

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]



ChatGPT:
[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]

While the connection between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers may seem like an odd pairing, it is not without precedent in the realm of unexpected correlations. Smith et al. (2015) documented a similar surprising relationship in their study of the link between the consumption of pickles and the incidence of clown sightings in urban areas. One might say the interplay of 9th graders and hazardous materials removal workers is as surprising as finding a "hazardous dill-emma" in the labor market.

Moving onto more serious literature, Doe and Jones (2018) examined the impact of rainfall on the sale of umbrellas and discovered a strong positive correlation, leading to the proverbial joke "it pours umbrellas when it rains." Now, our study ventures into the enigmatic realm of hazardous materials removal workers and 9th graders, a correlation as unexpected as finding hazardous waste in a ball pit.

In "Hazardous Materials and You: A Beginner's Guide," the authors highlight the critical importance of hazardous materials removal workers in safeguarding public health and the environment. It's almost as if they were referring to 9th graders as a potential source of hazardous materials, but we digress.

Shifting gears, the eerie atmosphere of Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" echoes the mysterious nature of our research findings, where the seemingly innocuous 9th graders may hold unforeseen implications for the hazardous materials industry. It's as if Maine's hazardous materials removal workers are caught in a real-life game of Jumanji, with 9th graders as the dice that determine their fate.

Furthermore, the strategic maneuvering and risk assessment inherent in the board game "Pandemic" resonates with the challenges faced by hazardous materials removal workers, as they navigate the hazardous terrain not unlike a 9th grader avoiding a pop quiz.

In "Tales of a Hazardous Hauler," the fiction book by G. R. R. Hard Hat, we find an intriguing parallel to our research as the protagonist grapples with unexpected perils while moving hazardous materials. The conundrum faced by the protagonist mirrors the unexpected correlation we've uncovered, akin to a hazardous materials removal worker stumbling upon a group of mischievous 9th graders attempting a chemistry experiment.

As we delve into the literature and pop culture references, it becomes evident that the relationship between 9th graders and hazardous materials workers is as curious as a chemist's love life - full of unexpected reactions. This literature review underscores the gravity of our findings and the need for further exploration into this unanticipated correlation, leaving us with the lingering question: what's the difference between a hazardous materials removal worker and a 9th grader? One deals with toxic substances, and the other is in chemistry class!


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.You draft the methodology section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the methodology section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences. Stay serious and dry most of the time, but then occasionally let your wit shine through.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Larbor Statistics . You used data from 2003 to 2022

Make up the research methods you don't know. Make them a bit goofy and convoluted.

Here is the title, abstract, and introduction of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.

Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.

The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.

[[INTRODUCTION]]
The labor market is a complex web of interconnected factors, constantly influenced by demographic changes, economic trends, and regulatory developments. One such intriguing connection emerges when we consider the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the state of Maine. It's almost as unexpected as finding a hidden treasure chest in a landfill - a correlation that deserves a closer examination.
As the old saying goes, "One person's trash is another person's treasure," and in this case, we set out to determine if the influx of 9th graders in Maine's public school system could indeed be a harbinger for the demand of hazardous materials removal workers. Our investigation into this matter is as curious as a cat sniffing around a chemical spill site.
This study represents a departure from traditional labor market analyses, venturing into uncharted territories akin to a hazardous materials removal worker exploring an abandoned industrial site. By leveraging data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we sought to unravel the mystery behind this seemingly unusual correlation, which fits together like a puzzle made from toxic waste barrels.
The question we set out to answer is as puzzling as a riddle wrapped in an enigma: is there a relationship between the number of 9th graders entering Maine's public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state? Or as some might put it, are 9th graders indirectly shaping the hazardous materials industry in Maine - a phenomenon we might as well term "Grade-induced Decontamination Demand"?

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[METHODOLOGY]]



ChatGPT:

[[METHODOLOGY]]

To investigate the curious relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine, our research team employed a series of meticulous methodologies akin to a hazardous materials removal worker meticulously inspecting a contaminated site. Our primary data sources included the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which provided comprehensive and reliable information spanning the years 2003 to 2022.

We began by collecting the numbers of 9th-grade students enrolled in public schools in Maine and the corresponding employment figures for hazardous materials removal workers. These data were then subjected to rigorous statistical analysis, not unlike scrutinizing hazardous waste samples for their chemical composition.

The relationship between these two variables was examined using various quantitative techniques, including correlation analysis, linear regression models, and time series analysis. Our statistical models were as carefully crafted as a hazardous materials removal worker's protective suit, aiming to capture any underlying patterns or trends in the data.

To ensure the robustness of our findings, we also conducted sensitivity analyses and employed robust statistical techniques to account for potential confounding factors. This meticulous approach was as thorough as a hazardous materials removal worker's decontamination process, eliminating any spurious associations and allowing us to hone in on the true relationship between the influx of 9th graders and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in Maine.

Speaking of being meticulous, did you hear about the mathematician who’s afraid of negative numbers? He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them! In a similar vein, our research left no stone unturned in its quest to unravel the underlying dynamics of this unexpected correlation.

Furthermore, as part of our exploratory analysis, we delved into qualitative assessments through in-depth interviews with industry experts and educators in Maine. These interviews provided valuable insights, much like how a hazardous materials removal worker relies on expert knowledge to navigate complex decontamination scenarios.

The statistical and qualitative findings were then integrated to present a comprehensive understanding of the connection between the number of 9th-grade students and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. The convergence of these methods allowed us to unravel this peculiar correlation, shedding light on a previously undetected interplay between education and environmental remediation labor markets.

This research methodology, much like a well-timed dad joke, strikes a balance between serious inquiry and lightheartedness, underscoring the importance of thorough investigation while infusing a touch of humor into the scholarly discourse.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.You draft the results section of an academic research paper. You speak in the past tense (you found...).
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the results section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences. Stay serious and dry most of the time, but then occasionally let your wit shine through.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Larbor Statistics .

For the time period 2003 to 2022, you found a correlation 0.8566737, r-squared of 0.7338898, and p < 0.01.

One figure will be included. The figure (Fig. 1) is a scatterplot showing the strong correlation between the two variables. You don't need to specify where; I will add the figure.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.

Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.

The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.

-------

And here is the methodology section that led to this result:
[[METHODOLOGY]]
The labor market is a complex web of interconnected factors, constantly influenced by demographic changes, economic trends, and regulatory developments. One such intriguing connection emerges when we consider the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the state of Maine. It's almost as unexpected as finding a hidden treasure chest in a landfill - a correlation that deserves a closer examination.
As the old saying goes, "One person's trash is another person's treasure," and in this case, we set out to determine if the influx of 9th graders in Maine's public school system could indeed be a harbinger for the demand of hazardous materials removal workers. Our investigation into this matter is as curious as a cat sniffing around a chemical spill site.
This study represents a departure from traditional labor market analyses, venturing into uncharted territories akin to a hazardous materials removal worker exploring an abandoned industrial site. By leveraging data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we sought to unravel the mystery behind this seemingly unusual correlation, which fits together like a puzzle made from toxic waste barrels.
The question we set out to answer is as puzzling as a riddle wrapped in an enigma: is there a relationship between the number of 9th graders entering Maine's public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state? Or as some might put it, are 9th graders indirectly shaping the hazardous materials industry in Maine - a phenomenon we might as well term "Grade-induced Decontamination Demand"?

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[RESULTS]]



ChatGPT:

[[RESULTS]]

The analysis of our data revealed a robust correlation between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. In fact, the correlation coefficient calculated was 0.8566737, indicating a strong positive relationship between these two variables. This means that as the number of 9th graders entering the public school system increased, so did the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state.

It's almost as if the 9th graders are secretly plotting to create more hazardous waste just to keep the removal workers busy! The bond between these variables is unmistakable, much like the bond between a hazardous materials removal worker and their protective suit.

Additionally, the coefficient of determination (R-squared) of 0.7338898 suggests that approximately 73.39% of the variability in the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers can be explained by the number of public school students in 9th grade. This finding demonstrates a remarkably high degree of association between the two factors, perhaps as surprising as discovering a hazardous material spill during a routine chemistry experiment.

The statistical significance of our findings is further underscored by the p-value of less than 0.01, confirming that the observed correlation is unlikely to be a result of random chance. It's as if the data is telling us, "Hey, this connection is the real deal - not just a statistical fluke!"

Finally, the scatterplot (Fig. 1) visually illustrates the strong positive correlation between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. The plot resembles a portrait of interconnectedness, where each data point represents a unique duo of 9th graders and hazard-mitigating professionals, standing as a testament to the unexpected synergy between education and hazardous materials management.

Our research not only sheds light on the intricate relationship between these variables but also highlights the need for further investigation into the underlying mechanisms driving this correlation. Just like a hazardous materials removal worker carefully disposes of toxic substances, we must continue to peel back the layers of this intriguing association to fully comprehend its implications for labor market dynamics in Maine and beyond.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.You draft the discussion section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the discussion section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences. Stay serious and dry most of the time, but then occasionally let your wit shine through.

Limit your response to 500 tokens.

Here are the title, abstract, literature review, and results sections. Please harken back to 1-2 of the goofy items in the literature review, but pretend to take them completely seriously. Discuss how your results supported the prior research.

Do not write a conclusion. I will add a conclusion after this.

[[TITLE]]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.

Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.

The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]
While the connection between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers may seem like an odd pairing, it is not without precedent in the realm of unexpected correlations. Smith et al. (2015) documented a similar surprising relationship in their study of the link between the consumption of pickles and the incidence of clown sightings in urban areas. One might say the interplay of 9th graders and hazardous materials removal workers is as surprising as finding a "hazardous dill-emma" in the labor market.
Moving onto more serious literature, Doe and Jones (2018) examined the impact of rainfall on the sale of umbrellas and discovered a strong positive correlation, leading to the proverbial joke "it pours umbrellas when it rains." Now, our study ventures into the enigmatic realm of hazardous materials removal workers and 9th graders, a correlation as unexpected as finding hazardous waste in a ball pit.
In "Hazardous Materials and You: A Beginner's Guide," the authors highlight the critical importance of hazardous materials removal workers in safeguarding public health and the environment. It's almost as if they were referring to 9th graders as a potential source of hazardous materials, but we digress.
Shifting gears, the eerie atmosphere of Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" echoes the mysterious nature of our research findings, where the seemingly innocuous 9th graders may hold unforeseen implications for the hazardous materials industry. It's as if Maine's hazardous materials removal workers are caught in a real-life game of Jumanji, with 9th graders as the dice that determine their fate.
Furthermore, the strategic maneuvering and risk assessment inherent in the board game "Pandemic" resonates with the challenges faced by hazardous materials removal workers, as they navigate the hazardous terrain not unlike a 9th grader avoiding a pop quiz.
In "Tales of a Hazardous Hauler," the fiction book by G. R. R. Hard Hat, we find an intriguing parallel to our research as the protagonist grapples with unexpected perils while moving hazardous materials. The conundrum faced by the protagonist mirrors the unexpected correlation we've uncovered, akin to a hazardous materials removal worker stumbling upon a group of mischievous 9th graders attempting a chemistry experiment.
As we delve into the literature and pop culture references, it becomes evident that the relationship between 9th graders and hazardous materials workers is as curious as a chemist's love life - full of unexpected reactions. This literature review underscores the gravity of our findings and the need for further exploration into this unanticipated correlation, leaving us with the lingering question: what's the difference between a hazardous materials removal worker and a 9th grader? One deals with toxic substances, and the other is in chemistry class!

[[RESULTS]]
The analysis of our data revealed a robust correlation between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. In fact, the correlation coefficient calculated was 0.8566737, indicating a strong positive relationship between these two variables. This means that as the number of 9th graders entering the public school system increased, so did the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state.
It's almost as if the 9th graders are secretly plotting to create more hazardous waste just to keep the removal workers busy! The bond between these variables is unmistakable, much like the bond between a hazardous materials removal worker and their protective suit.
Additionally, the coefficient of determination (R-squared) of 0.7338898 suggests that approximately 73.39% of the variability in the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers can be explained by the number of public school students in 9th grade. This finding demonstrates a remarkably high degree of association between the two factors, perhaps as surprising as discovering a hazardous material spill during a routine chemistry experiment.
The statistical significance of our findings is further underscored by the p-value of less than 0.01, confirming that the observed correlation is unlikely to be a result of random chance. It's as if the data is telling us, "Hey, this connection is the real deal - not just a statistical fluke!"
Finally, the scatterplot (Fig. 1) visually illustrates the strong positive correlation between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. The plot resembles a portrait of interconnectedness, where each data point represents a unique duo of 9th graders and hazard-mitigating professionals, standing as a testament to the unexpected synergy between education and hazardous materials management.
Our research not only sheds light on the intricate relationship between these variables but also highlights the need for further investigation into the underlying mechanisms driving this correlation. Just like a hazardous materials removal worker carefully disposes of toxic substances, we must continue to peel back the layers of this intriguing association to fully comprehend its implications for labor market dynamics in Maine and beyond.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[DISCUSSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[DISCUSSION]]

Our study delved into the previously uncharted territory of investigating the connection between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. Our findings revealed a substantial correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables, strengthening the argument that there may be underlying factors at play that warrant further exploration. It's as if 9th graders and hazardous materials removal workers are in a symbiotic dance, each influencing the other's existence in a subtle yet undeniable manner.

The unexpected synergy we observed between these variables echoes similar surprising correlations documented in the literature. Smith et al.'s (2015) study on pickle consumption and clown sightings, and Doe and Jones' (2018) investigation into the relationship between rainfall and umbrella sales both exemplify the perplexing nature of seemingly unrelated phenomena converging. It's as if statistical analysis has a penchant for uncovering bizarre connections, not unlike finding a "hazardous dill-emma" in the labor market. Our results not only uphold these previous anecdotes but also lend credence to the view that the labor market is imbued with mysterious interactions that defy conventional wisdom.

The remarkable correlation coefficient of 0.8566737 we observed aligns with the unexpected nature of our research topic. The strength of this correlation suggests a compelling relationship, akin to the bond between a hazardous materials removal worker and their protective suit - unbreakable and essential. Additionally, the high coefficient of determination (R-squared) of 0.7338898 further emphasizes the substantial explanatory power of the number of public school students in 9th grade on the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers. This finding signifies the significant influence 9th graders wield on the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, almost as if there's a clandestine plan for them to generate more hazardous waste just to keep the removal workers occupied.

Moreover, the statistical significance of our results, as evidenced by the p-value of less than 0.01, dispels any notion of random chance and solidifies the robustness of the observed correlation. It's as if the data is winking at us, reassuring that this connection isn't a statistical fluke but a substantiated relationship with tangible implications.

Our study, much like a curious chemist examining unexpected reactions, ultimately underscores the need for continued inquiry into the mechanisms driving this surprising correlation. Although our findings provide a valuable foundation, further research is warranted to unravel the intricate dynamics between 9th graders and hazardous materials removal workers. The interplay of these variables presents a compelling enigma, much like a dad joke that's simultaneously cringeworthy and amusing, urging us to delve deeper into this unanticipated association.

As we consider the implications of our research, one can't help but ponder: what's the difference between a hazardous materials removal worker and a 9th grader? One deals with toxic substances, and the other is in chemistry class - a lighthearted encapsulation of the serious research yet to be conducted to fully comprehend this intriguing correlation.

Our study, while shedding light on this intriguing correlation, opens the door to a myriad of questions, much like a dad letting his child ask endless "why" questions at the most inopportune time. Further investigations into this unexpected relationship hold promise for not only enhancing our understanding of labor market dynamics but also broadening our appreciation for the intricate interconnectedness of seemingly disparate factors.



Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.You draft the discussion section of goofy academic research papers that sounds like it belongs based on the title and abstract provided.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up a short conclusion of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Number of public school students in 9th grade and The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences. Stay serious and dry most of the time, but then occasionally let your wit shine through.

Limit your response to 300 tokens. At the very end, assert that no more research is needed in this area.

Here are the title, abstract, introduction, and results sections.
[[TITLE]]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.

Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.

The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.

[[INTRDUCTION]]
The labor market is a complex web of interconnected factors, constantly influenced by demographic changes, economic trends, and regulatory developments. One such intriguing connection emerges when we consider the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the state of Maine. It's almost as unexpected as finding a hidden treasure chest in a landfill - a correlation that deserves a closer examination.
As the old saying goes, "One person's trash is another person's treasure," and in this case, we set out to determine if the influx of 9th graders in Maine's public school system could indeed be a harbinger for the demand of hazardous materials removal workers. Our investigation into this matter is as curious as a cat sniffing around a chemical spill site.
This study represents a departure from traditional labor market analyses, venturing into uncharted territories akin to a hazardous materials removal worker exploring an abandoned industrial site. By leveraging data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we sought to unravel the mystery behind this seemingly unusual correlation, which fits together like a puzzle made from toxic waste barrels.
The question we set out to answer is as puzzling as a riddle wrapped in an enigma: is there a relationship between the number of 9th graders entering Maine's public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state? Or as some might put it, are 9th graders indirectly shaping the hazardous materials industry in Maine - a phenomenon we might as well term "Grade-induced Decontamination Demand"?

[[RESULTS]]
The analysis of our data revealed a robust correlation between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. In fact, the correlation coefficient calculated was 0.8566737, indicating a strong positive relationship between these two variables. This means that as the number of 9th graders entering the public school system increased, so did the demand for hazardous materials removal workers in the state.
It's almost as if the 9th graders are secretly plotting to create more hazardous waste just to keep the removal workers busy! The bond between these variables is unmistakable, much like the bond between a hazardous materials removal worker and their protective suit.
Additionally, the coefficient of determination (R-squared) of 0.7338898 suggests that approximately 73.39% of the variability in the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers can be explained by the number of public school students in 9th grade. This finding demonstrates a remarkably high degree of association between the two factors, perhaps as surprising as discovering a hazardous material spill during a routine chemistry experiment.
The statistical significance of our findings is further underscored by the p-value of less than 0.01, confirming that the observed correlation is unlikely to be a result of random chance. It's as if the data is telling us, "Hey, this connection is the real deal - not just a statistical fluke!"
Finally, the scatterplot (Fig. 1) visually illustrates the strong positive correlation between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine. The plot resembles a portrait of interconnectedness, where each data point represents a unique duo of 9th graders and hazard-mitigating professionals, standing as a testament to the unexpected synergy between education and hazardous materials management.
Our research not only sheds light on the intricate relationship between these variables but also highlights the need for further investigation into the underlying mechanisms driving this correlation. Just like a hazardous materials removal worker carefully disposes of toxic substances, we must continue to peel back the layers of this intriguing association to fully comprehend its implications for labor market dynamics in Maine and beyond.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[CONCLUSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[CONCLUSION]]

Our examination of the relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine has yielded fascinating insights into a previously unexplored area of labor market dynamics. The correlation coefficient of 0.8566737 and the statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 highlight the strength and robustness of this unexpected connection.

This correlation between 9th graders and hazardous materials removal workers is as clear as a hazmat suit after a thorough decontamination! It appears that as the number of 9th graders entering the public school system increases, so does the demand for hazardous materials removal workers, almost like they are in cahoots to keep each other in business.

Moreover, the coefficient of determination of 0.7338898 underscores the high degree of association between these variables. It's as if these numbers are shouting, "Yes, there is a correlation - it's not just a statistical fluke! Keep an eye on those 9th graders and hazmat workers!"

The scatterplot (Fig. 1) serves as a visual testament to the surprising synergy between these seemingly unrelated factors. It's like a portrait of interconnectedness, showcasing the dance between education and hazardous materials management, almost like an unexpected partnership between a student and their tutor.

In light of these compelling findings, we assert that further research in this area may yield diminishing returns, as we have likely exhausted this unexpected correlation between 9th grade students and hazardous materials removal workers. It's time for us to pack up our hazardous materials removal gear and turn our attention to other intriguing puzzles in the labor market - ones that perhaps don't involve teenage shenanigans and toxic substances.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide fictional names of academic journals. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide the name of a funny but plausible sounding research, scientific, or academic journal that would publish a paper entited Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest. Respond only with the name of a fictional academic journal.

ChatGPT:

The Journal of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide fictional names of nonprofit research organizations and associations. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide the name of a funny but plausible sounding nonprofit, academic, or scientific association or organization that would sponsor research that resulted in a paper entited Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest. Respond only with the name of a fictional organization.

ChatGPT:

The Society for Advanced Environmental Health and Safety (SAEHS)


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide potential search keywords separated by commas. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide potential search keywords for a paper titled Hazardous Materials Removal Workers: A Grade Above the Rest with an abstract of In this paper, we explore the fascinating, and often overlooked, relationship between the number of public school students in 9th grade and the employment levels of hazardous materials removal workers in the great state of Maine. By harnessing the power of data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we aimed to uncover whether there exists a meaningful correlation between these seemingly unrelated variables.
Our rigorous analysis revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.8566737, with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.01 for the time period spanning from 2003 to 2022. This finding points to a striking connection between the influx of 9th graders entering the public school system and the demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, shedding light on a previously unexplored aspect of labor market dynamics in Maine.
The relationship between these variables presents an intriguing conundrum, not unlike a classic dad joke - what do you call a 9th grader who's also proficient in hazardous materials removal? A "toxic teenager"! While the causality behind this correlation remains to be fully elucidated, our research underscores the importance of considering seemingly disparate factors in labor market analyses.

ChatGPT:

Hazardous materials removal workers, 9th grade students, employment levels, Maine, National Center for Education Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, correlation coefficient, statistical significance, labor market dynamics, public school system, demand for hazardous materials removal professionals, causality, labor market analyses

*There is a bunch of Python happening behind the scenes to turn this prompt sequence into a PDF.



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Data details

Number of public school students in 9th grade
Detailed data title: 9th grade enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
See what else correlates with Number of public school students in 9th grade

The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine
Detailed data title: BLS estimate of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine
Source: Bureau of Larbor Statistics
See what else correlates with The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine

Correlation r = 0.8566737 (Pearson correlation coefficient)
Correlation is a measure of how much the variables move together. If it is 0.99, when one goes up the other goes up. If it is 0.02, the connection is very weak or non-existent. If it is -0.99, then when one goes up the other goes down. If it is 1.00, you probably messed up your correlation function.

r2 = 0.7338898 (Coefficient of determination)
This means 73.4% of the change in the one variable (i.e., The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine) is predictable based on the change in the other (i.e., Number of public school students in 9th grade) over the 20 years from 2003 through 2022.

p < 0.01, which is statistically significant(Null hypothesis significance test)
The p-value is 1.4E-6. 0.0000014237574729545599000000
The p-value is a measure of how probable it is that we would randomly find a result this extreme. More specifically the p-value is a measure of how probable it is that we would randomly find a result this extreme if we had only tested one pair of variables one time.

But I am a p-villain. I absolutely did not test only one pair of variables one time. I correlated hundreds of millions of pairs of variables. I threw boatloads of data into an industrial-sized blender to find this correlation.

Who is going to stop me? p-value reporting doesn't require me to report how many calculations I had to go through in order to find a low p-value!
On average, you will find a correaltion as strong as 0.86 in 0.00014% of random cases. Said differently, if you correlated 702,367 random variables You don't actually need 702 thousand variables to find a correlation like this one. I don't have that many variables in my database. You can also correlate variables that are not independent. I do this a lot.

p-value calculations are useful for understanding the probability of a result happening by chance. They are most useful when used to highlight the risk of a fluke outcome. For example, if you calculate a p-value of 0.30, the risk that the result is a fluke is high. It is good to know that! But there are lots of ways to get a p-value of less than 0.01, as evidenced by this project.

In this particular case, the values are so extreme as to be meaningless. That's why no one reports p-values with specificity after they drop below 0.01.

Just to be clear: I'm being completely transparent about the calculations. There is no math trickery. This is just how statistics shakes out when you calculate hundreds of millions of random correlations.
with the same 19 degrees of freedom, Degrees of freedom is a measure of how many free components we are testing. In this case it is 19 because we have two variables measured over a period of 20 years. It's just the number of years minus ( the number of variables minus one ), which in this case simplifies to the number of years minus one.
you would randomly expect to find a correlation as strong as this one.

[ 0.67, 0.94 ] 95% correlation confidence interval (using the Fisher z-transformation)
The confidence interval is an estimate the range of the value of the correlation coefficient, using the correlation itself as an input. The values are meant to be the low and high end of the correlation coefficient with 95% confidence.

This one is a bit more complciated than the other calculations, but I include it because many people have been pushing for confidence intervals instead of p-value calculations (for example: NEJM. However, if you are dredging data, you can reliably find yourself in the 5%. That's my goal!


All values for the years included above: If I were being very sneaky, I could trim years from the beginning or end of the datasets to increase the correlation on some pairs of variables. I don't do that because there are already plenty of correlations in my database without monkeying with the years.

Still, sometimes one of the variables has more years of data available than the other. This page only shows the overlapping years. To see all the years, click on "See what else correlates with..." link above.
20032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Number of public school students in 9th grade (Students)41902404281340428712042599104199830412255040800204007860395699039752603979520403253040194803986170399557040044404044230401373041685204139010
The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine (Laborers)25042031041021018014014015014090901101501708060190290240




Why this works

  1. Data dredging: I have 25,153 variables in my database. I compare all these variables against each other to find ones that randomly match up. That's 632,673,409 correlation calculations! This is called “data dredging.” Instead of starting with a hypothesis and testing it, I instead abused the data to see what correlations shake out. It’s a dangerous way to go about analysis, because any sufficiently large dataset will yield strong correlations completely at random.
  2. Lack of causal connection: There is probably Because these pages are automatically generated, it's possible that the two variables you are viewing are in fact causually related. I take steps to prevent the obvious ones from showing on the site (I don't let data about the weather in one city correlate with the weather in a neighboring city, for example), but sometimes they still pop up. If they are related, cool! You found a loophole.
    no direct connection between these variables, despite what the AI says above. This is exacerbated by the fact that I used "Years" as the base variable. Lots of things happen in a year that are not related to each other! Most studies would use something like "one person" in stead of "one year" to be the "thing" studied.
  3. Observations not independent: For many variables, sequential years are not independent of each other. If a population of people is continuously doing something every day, there is no reason to think they would suddenly change how they are doing that thing on January 1. A simple Personally I don't find any p-value calculation to be 'simple,' but you know what I mean.
    p-value calculation does not take this into account, so mathematically it appears less probable than it really is.
  4. Y-axis doesn't start at zero: I truncated the Y-axes of the graph above. I also used a line graph, which makes the visual connection stand out more than it deserves. Nothing against line graphs. They are great at telling a story when you have linear data! But visually it is deceptive because the only data is at the points on the graph, not the lines on the graph. In between each point, the data could have been doing anything. Like going for a random walk by itself!
    Mathematically what I showed is true, but it is intentionally misleading. Below is the same chart but with both Y-axes starting at zero.




Try it yourself

You can calculate the values on this page on your own! Try running the Python code to see the calculation results. Step 1: Download and install Python on your computer.

Step 2: Open a plaintext editor like Notepad and paste the code below into it.

Step 3: Save the file as "calculate_correlation.py" in a place you will remember, like your desktop. Copy the file location to your clipboard. On Windows, you can right-click the file and click "Properties," and then copy what comes after "Location:" As an example, on my computer the location is "C:\Users\tyler\Desktop"

Step 4: Open a command line window. For example, by pressing start and typing "cmd" and them pressing enter.

Step 5: Install the required modules by typing "pip install numpy", then pressing enter, then typing "pip install scipy", then pressing enter.

Step 6: Navigate to the location where you saved the Python file by using the "cd" command. For example, I would type "cd C:\Users\tyler\Desktop" and push enter.

Step 7: Run the Python script by typing "python calculate_correlation.py"

If you run into any issues, I suggest asking ChatGPT to walk you through installing Python and running the code below on your system. Try this question:

"Walk me through installing Python on my computer to run a script that uses scipy and numpy. Go step-by-step and ask me to confirm before moving on. Start by asking me questions about my operating system so that you know how to proceed. Assume I want the simplest installation with the latest version of Python and that I do not currently have any of the necessary elements installed. Remember to only give me one step per response and confirm I have done it before proceeding."


# These modules make it easier to perform the calculation
import numpy as np
from scipy import stats

# We'll define a function that we can call to return the correlation calculations
def calculate_correlation(array1, array2):

    # Calculate Pearson correlation coefficient and p-value
    correlation, p_value = stats.pearsonr(array1, array2)

    # Calculate R-squared as the square of the correlation coefficient
    r_squared = correlation**2

    return correlation, r_squared, p_value

# These are the arrays for the variables shown on this page, but you can modify them to be any two sets of numbers
array_1 = np.array([4190240,4281340,4287120,4259910,4199830,4122550,4080020,4007860,3956990,3975260,3979520,4032530,4019480,3986170,3995570,4004440,4044230,4013730,4168520,4139010,])
array_2 = np.array([250,420,310,410,210,180,140,140,150,140,90,90,110,150,170,80,60,190,290,240,])
array_1_name = "Number of public school students in 9th grade"
array_2_name = "The number of hazardous materials removal workers in Maine"

# Perform the calculation
print(f"Calculating the correlation between {array_1_name} and {array_2_name}...")
correlation, r_squared, p_value = calculate_correlation(array_1, array_2)

# Print the results
print("Correlation Coefficient:", correlation)
print("R-squared:", r_squared)
print("P-value:", p_value)



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Correlation ID: 2347 · Black Variable ID: 1307 · Red Variable ID: 9012
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