Question

When data is displayed with a scatter plot, it is often useful to attempt to represent that data with the equation of a straight line. What is this line called and what is its purpose?
a.
slope, used to determine if a line represents a linear equation
c.
line of best fit, used to represent the linear trend in the data
b.
correlation, used to determine if a line represents a linear equation
d.
quadrant, used to represent the linear trend in the data

Answer 1

The correct answer is C) line of best fit, used to represent the linear trend in the data.

When data is displayed with a scatter plot, it is often useful to attempt to represent that data with the equation of a straight line. This line is called a line of best fit, and what is its purpose is to determine if a line represents a linear equation.

In statistics, the term "line of best fit" defines a straight line that represents the data that is on the scatter plot. It determines the relationship that two variables have. Many times it is used in regression analysis when you want to express statistical information in research fields such as finances, biology, or science.

Answer 2

The correct answer is C: "line of best fit, used to represent the linear trend in the data"

A scatter plot contains all the combinations of values of two variables that constitute the different observations comprised in a dataset. Those pairs of values are in turn coordinates in a graph. (image 1)

A line of best fit can be represented in the scatter plot to both study and show the relationship between the two varibles (image 2). For example, when linear correlations are estimated, the best-fit technique that should be used to compute the line is the linear regression.