Question

If these are the points on a scatterplot, is it a nonlinear?
X: 25, 35, 60, 40, 45, 90, 85, 50, 95, 80
Y: 485, 500, 325, 400, 425, 475, 175, 400, 125, 265

Answer 1

To determine if the relationship between the points (X, Y) in your scatterplot is nonlinear, we would typically look for a pattern in how the Y values change in relation to the X values.

Here's a brief analysis based on the provided data:

1. **Points**:
- (25, 485)
- (35, 500)
- (60, 325)
- (40, 400)
- (45, 425)
- (90, 475)
- (85, 175)
- (50, 400)
- (95, 125)
- (80, 265)

2. **Observations**:
- The Y values don't consistently increase or decrease as X increases, suggesting that the relationship may not be linear.
- For example, as X goes from 35 to 60 (a 25-point increase), Y decreases from 500 to 325 (a 175-point decrease).
- Similarly, the transition from X = 60 to X = 90 shows that Y decreases from 325 to 475, and then decreases again from X = 90 to X = 95 (a drop from 475 to 125).

3. **Conclusion**:
Given the fluctuations in Y with respect to X, it appears that there is a non-linear relationship among these points. You would likely find a curve or a more complex model that better fits the data than a straight line.

To confirm this, you could plot these points on a scatterplot and see the visual relationship or use statistical methods (e.g., regression analysis) to determine the best-fitting model. A visual inspection would likely reinforce the conclusion of nonlinearity.