Question

Regina has performed and experiment, and plotted the results on a graph. The function of best fit for her data is y = -0.4x + 5.4. Which term accurately describes this relationship?

a. negative correlation
b. no correlation
c. non-linear correlation
d. positive correlation

Answer 1

The relationship between variables x and y in Regina's experiment can be described by the term 'negative correlation', indicated by the negative slope in the equation y = -0.4x + 5.4.Option A is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The function of best fit for Regina's experiment is given by the equation y = -0.4x + 5.4. The negative coefficient of x in this linear equation indicates that there is a negative correlation between the variables x and y.

This means that as the value of x increases, the value of y tends to decrease, whereas, as x decreases, y tends to increase. The term 'negative correlation' therefore accurately describes this relationship.

In terms of correlation coefficient (r), a negative value of r which lies between -1 and 0 points to a negative correlation. The sign of r is the same as the sign of the slope, b, of the best-fit line.