Question

Which line is a linear model for the data?


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Answer 1

C

Explanation:

You will probably find that line C has the best correlation with the data plotted.

In general, the "line of best fit" will minimize the sum of squares of vertical distances between data points and the line. The line with the smallest vertical differences is the line in graph C.

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The line in graph D goes through several data points, so the vertical distance from the point to the line is zero for those. However, the remaining points are farther from the line than they are in graph C. The measure of fit is the square of the distance, so the penalty for larger distances is fairly severe.