2-5 Using Linear Models

Objectives

To write linear equations that model real-world data

To make predictions from linear models

Image Long Description

Graphs of data pairs for a real-world situation rarely fall in a line. Their arrangement, however, can suggest a relationship that you can model with a linear function.

Essential Understanding Sometimes it is possible to model data from a real-world situation with a linear equation. You can then use the equation to draw conclusions about the situation.

A scatter plot is a graph that relates two sets of data by plotting the data as ordered pairs. You can use a scatter plot to determine the strength of the relationship, or correlation, between data sets. The closer the data points fall along a line with positive slope,

• the stronger the linear relationship and
• the stronger the positive correlation

between the two variables.

Strong Negative Correlation

Weak Negative Correlation

No Correlation

Weak Positive Correlation

Strong Positive Correlation

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