Final answer:
To determine the line of best fit on a scatter plot, calculate the slope between two points on the trend, find the y-intercept, and use these to form the equation of the line. Substitute x = 18 into the equation to predict the time spent doing homework for a student who watches 18 hours of TV.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves creating an approximate equation of the line of best fit for a scatter plot that shows the relationship between the time spent watching TV (independent variable, x) and the time spent doing homework (dependent variable, y), and then using that equation to make a prediction. To create the equation, one would typically choose two points that seem to fit within the overall trend of the data points and calculate the slope (m) using the slope formula m = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1). Then, using the slope and one of the chosen points, the y-intercept (b) can be found by rearranging the slope-intercept form equation y = mx + b to solve for b. Once the slope and y-intercept are determined, the equation can be written in the form y = mx + b. To predict the time spent doing homework for a student who spends 18 hours watching TV, we would substitute x = 18 into the equation and solve for y.