To find the equation of the trend line in slope-intercept form, \(y = mx + b\), we need to determine the slope \(m\) and the y-intercept \(b\).
From the information provided, we can use two points that the line passes through: \((15, 40)\) and \((30, 60)\).
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Calculate the slope \(m\): \[ m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} = \frac{60 - 40}{30 - 15} = \frac{20}{15} = \frac{4}{3} \]
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Use point-slope form to calculate \(b\) (the y-intercept): We can use one of the points, say \((15, 40)\), and insert the slope: \[ y = mx + b \implies 40 = \frac{4}{3}(15) + b \] Now calculate: \[ 40 = 20 + b \implies b = 40 - 20 = 20 \]
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Write the equation: Now we can write the equation of the trend line: \[ y = \frac{4}{3}x + 20 \]
Thus, in the required format, the equation of the trend line is: \[ y = \frac{4}{3}x + 20 \]