Lines and Curves of Best Fit

Front

What is a curve of best fit?

Back

A curve of best fit is a smooth line that best represents the data on a scatter plot, showing the trend of the data points.

Front

How do you find the output (y) for a given input (x) in a quadratic equation?

Back

Substitute the value of x into the equation and solve for y.

Front

What does the line of best fit represent in a scatter plot?

Back

The line of best fit represents the relationship between the independent variable (x) and the dependent variable (y), minimizing the distance between the line and all data points.

Front

What is a linear relationship?

Back

A linear relationship is a relationship between two variables that can be represented by a straight line on a graph.

Front

How can you determine the line of best fit visually?

Back

By observing which line minimizes the distance to all points in a scatter plot, indicating the best overall trend.

Front

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

Back

To make predictions about future data points based on the trend established by the existing data.

Front

What is the difference between a linear and a quadratic equation?

Back

A linear equation represents a straight line, while a quadratic equation represents a parabola (a curve) and includes an x² term.

Front

How do you interpret the slope of a line of best fit?

Back

The slope indicates the rate of change of y with respect to x; a positive slope means y increases as x increases.

Front

What is a scatter plot?

Back

A scatter plot is a graph that displays values for typically two variables for a set of data, showing how much one variable is affected by another.

Front

What does it mean if a scatter plot shows no correlation?

Back

It means there is no discernible relationship between the two variables; the data points are scattered randomly.