Which scenario is an example of correlation without causation?

The scenario where more ice cream consumed leads to higher drowning rates serves as a classic example of correlation without causation. This situation reflects a correlation between two variables—ice cream consumption and drowning rates—without suggesting that one causes the other.

In this case, the increase in ice cream sales during warmer months aligns with more people swimming, which can lead to a higher risk of drowning incidents. Both events arise from a common external factor, specifically warmer weather, rather than one event directly causing the other. Understanding this distinction is crucial in fields like biomedical engineering and other scientific disciplines, as it highlights the importance of careful analysis when interpreting data and drawing conclusions about relationships between variables.

The other scenarios illustrate causal relationships where one variable directly influences the outcome of another, which is not the case in the scenario provided.