How correlation differs from causeation?

Answer 1

Correlation means that when one quantity increases, the other tends to increase as well. Causation means that the increase in one quantity CAUSES an increase in another quantity. It is a common error to assume that correlation implies causation; sometimes correlation is caused by causation, but not always. For example: let's say that the price of sugar gradually went up over the last 10 years; so did the price of cooking oil. Neither one is caused by the increase of the other; rather, they are both part of a larger tendency, namely, inflation. As another example, during the same 10-year period, the population of your country gradually increased. This is independent of the inflation; both prices and population simply tend to increase over time.