Another important component to a scatterplot is the form of the relationship between the two variables. This example illustrates a linear relationship. This means that the points on the scatterplot closely resemble a straight line.

Is a scatter plot linear or nonlinear?

In general, you can categorize the pattern in a scatterplot as either linear or nonlinear. Scatterplots with a linear pattern have points that seem to generally fall along a line while nonlinear patterns seem to follow along some curve.

Why is a scatter plot not linear?

Scatter plot of a nonlinear relationship. Each point on the graph represents a single (X, Y) pair. Because the graph isn't a straight line, the relationship between X and Y is nonlinear.