What term is used to describe two variables that do not show a consistent relationship?

The term used to describe two variables that do not exhibit a consistent relationship is "uncorrelated." This means that changes in one variable do not predict changes in the other variable—there is no systematic association between them.

For example, if you were to look at the relationship between the amount of ice cream sold and the number of train delays in a city, you would likely not see a consistent pattern; sometimes ice cream sales might go up while train delays go down, or vice versa. In statistical analysis, this lack of correlation signifies that the variables move independently of one another.

In contrast, the other terms provided refer to specific types of relationships. "Independently related" is not a standard term used in statistics to describe relationships between variables. "Negatively correlated" refers to a situation where one variable increases while the other decreases. "Positively correlated" indicates a direct relationship where both variables move in the same direction. Since uncorrelated variables do not display such predictable patterns, the correct term is uncorrelated.