Hours Total Snow Accumulated (inches)

1 1.7
2 2.9
3 4.4
4 6.2
5 7.5
6 8.9
7 10.3
8 11.9
A weatherman collected data on snow accumulation. A line of best fit was computed. The equation for the line is: y=1.5x+0.125. Which BEST interprets the slope of the linear model?

The snow is accumulating at 1.5 inches every hour
The snow is accumulating at 1 inch every 1.5 hours
The snow is accumulating at 1 inch every 0.125 hours
The snow is accumulating at 1.5 inches every 0.125 hours

1 answer

The slope of the linear model, represented by the coefficient of \( x \) in the equation \( y = 1.5x + 0.125 \), indicates the change in \( y \) (total snow accumulated in inches) for each unit change in \( x \) (time in hours).

In this case, the slope is \( 1.5 \). This means that for every additional hour (1 unit increase in \( x \)), the total snow accumulation increases by 1.5 inches (the value of the slope).

Therefore, the BEST interpretation of the slope is:

The snow is accumulating at 1.5 inches every hour.