In mathematics and statistics, a positive or direct relationship is a relationship between two variables in which change in one variable is associated with a change in the other variable in the same direction. For example all linear relationships with a positive slope are direct relationships. Such direct relationships are very widely used in science and mathematics.
In a direct relationship, as one variable, say x, increases, the other variable, say y, also increases, and if one variable decreases, the other variable decreases. The formula for a direct linear relation is
- y = a + kx, where k is positive constant and a is a constant.
See for example temperature conversion, where two temperature scales are typically in a direct and linear relation.
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