A correlation coefficient is a statistical measure of the degree of correlation between two variables, indicating the strength and direction of their linear relationship. The value of a correlation coefficient typically ranges from -1.0 to +1.0. A coefficient of +1.0 indicates a perfect positive correlation, meaning that as one variable increases, the other variable increases proportionally. A coefficient of -1.0 indicates a perfect negative correlation, meaning that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases proportionally. A coefficient of 0 indicates no linear correlation between the two variables. The closer the coefficient is to +1.0 or -1.0, the stronger the correlation; the closer it is to 0, the weaker the correlation. Correlation does not imply causation, meaning that just because two variables are correlated does not necessarily mean that one causes the other.