does a scatter plot line have to hit the lowest point to be accurate?

No, a line on a scatter plot does not have to hit the lowest point to be considered accurate. In fact, the line is typically a best fit line (or regression line) that represents the overall trend of the data rather than passing through any specific points.

The purpose of the line is to minimize the distance (often in terms of squared differences) between the data points and the line itself, thereby capturing the relationship between the variables. Depending on the context and the type of regression analysis being used, the line may not intersect any of the data points at all. It's more focused on modeling the general trend rather than being bound to specific data points, such as the lowest point.