Chapter 8: Lines of Best Fit

Front

What is the slope in a linear relationship?

Back

The slope is a measure of the steepness of a line, indicating how much the dependent variable changes for a unit change in the independent variable.

Front

How do you calculate the slope from two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2)?

Back

Slope (m) = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1).

Front

What does a negative slope indicate about a line?

Back

A negative slope indicates that as the independent variable increases, the dependent variable decreases.

Front

What is a line of best fit?

Back

A line of best fit is a straight line that best represents the data on a scatter plot, minimizing the distance between the line and all data points.

Front

What does it mean if there is no association in a scatter plot?

Back

No association means that there is no discernible pattern or relationship between the two variables being plotted.

Front

What is a positive correlation?

Back

A positive correlation means that as one variable increases, the other variable also tends to increase.

Front

What is the purpose of using a line of best fit?

Back

The purpose is to make predictions about the dependent variable based on the independent variable.

Front

How can you determine if a line is a line of best fit?

Back

A line is a line of best fit if it passes through the middle of the data points and minimizes the overall distance from the points.

Front

What does it mean if a line does not pass through the middle of the data set?

Back

It means that the line may not accurately represent the trend of the data, and thus may not be a good line of best fit.

Front

What is the significance of the y-intercept in a linear equation?

Back

The y-intercept is the value of the dependent variable when the independent variable is zero.