Chapter 22: Problem 2
Find the equation of the least-squares line for the given data. Graph the line and data points on the same graph. $$\begin{array}{l|r|r|r|r|r|r|r} x & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 \\ \hline y & 10 & 17 & 28 & 37 & 49 & 56 & 72 \end{array}$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The least-squares line equation is \( y = -24.57 + 15.75x \).
Step by step solution
01
Understanding the Data
We have a dataset with points
(1, 10), (2, 17), (3, 28), (4, 37), (5, 49), (6, 56), and (7, 72). Our goal is to find the equation of the least-squares line (line of best fit) for this data.
02
Calculating the Mean Values
Calculate the mean of the x-values: \[ \bar{x} = \frac{1+2+3+4+5+6+7}{7} = 4 \]Calculate the mean of the y-values: \[ \bar{y} = \frac{10+17+28+37+49+56+72}{7} = 38.43 \]
03
Calculating the Slope (b)
The formula for the slope (b) of the least-squares line is: \[ b = \frac{\sum (x_i - \bar{x})(y_i - \bar{y})}{\sum (x_i - \bar{x})^2} \]Calculate each term and substitute the values:\[ b = \frac{(1-4)(10-38.43) + (2-4)(17-38.43) + .... + (7-4)(72-38.43)}{(1-4)^2 + (2-4)^2 + ... + (7-4)^2} = \frac{441}{28} = 15.75 \]
04
Calculating the Intercept (a)
The formula for the intercept (a) is: \[ a = \bar{y} - b\bar{x} \]Substitute the known values:\[ a = 38.43 - (15.75)(4) = -24.57 \]
05
Forming the Equation
The equation of the least-squares line is given by: \[ y = a + bx \]Substitute a and b:\[ y = -24.57 + 15.75x \]
06
Graphing the Line and Data Points
Plot the data points on a graph and the least-squares line using the equation \( y = -24.57 + 15.75x \). The line should pass through and fit the overall trend of the data points.
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Line of Best Fit
A line of best fit, also known as a least-squares line, is a straight line that best represents the data on a scatter plot. It minimizes the total distance between the points and the line, capturing the trend of the given data points.
- When you plot data on a scatter plot, you might notice that the points seem to go upward, downward, or even form a more complex pattern. The line of best fit shows the general direction (or trend) that the data is moving.
- When finding a line of best fit, our goal is to predict the behavior of the dependent variable based on the independent variable.
Slope Calculation
The slope of the least-squares line represents how much the y-value increases or decreases for each unit increase in the x-value. Calculating the slope is a key step in determining the line of best fit.
- The formula to calculate the slope (often denoted as \( b \)) is essential. It's given by: \[ b = \frac{\sum (x_i - \bar{x})(y_i - \bar{y})}{\sum (x_i - \bar{x})^2} \]
- This formula is applied by taking each x-value, subtracting the mean of x, and multiplying it by the difference of each y-value from the mean of y, then summing up these products.
- After this, we divide by the sum of squared differences of each x-value from the mean of x to complete the formula.
Intercept Calculation
The intercept of the least-squares line is the point where the line crosses the y-axis. It gives us the starting value of the dependent variable when the independent variable is 0.
- Here, we use the formula:\[a = \bar{y} - b\bar{x} \]
- This involves taking the mean of the y-values and subtracting the product of the slope and the mean of the x-values.
- By plugging in our previous results, \( \bar{y} = 38.43 \) and \( \bar{x} = 4 \), along with the slope \( b = 15.75 \), we find the intercept to be \( a = -24.57 \).