Data was collected on the weight, in ounces, of kittens for the first three months after birth. A line of fit was drawn through the scatter plot and had the equation w = 2.75 + 0.2d, where w is the weight of the kitten in ounces and d is the age of the kitten in days.

Question

What is the w-intercept of the line of fit and its meaning in terms of the scenario?
0.2; a kitten who is just born is predicted to weigh 0.2 ounces
0.2; for each additional day after the kitten is born, its weight is predicted to increase by 0.2 ounces
2.75; a kitten who is just born is predicted to weigh 2.75 ounces
2.75; for each additional day after the kitten is born, its weight is predicted to increase by 2.75 ounces

Answer 1

The equation of the line of fit is given as \( w = 2.75 + 0.2d \).

In this equation:

• \( w \) represents the weight of the kitten in ounces.
• \( d \) represents the age of the kitten in days.
• The w-intercept is the value of \( w \) when \( d = 0 \).

To find the w-intercept, we substitute \( d = 0 \) into the equation:

\[ w = 2.75 + 0.2(0) = 2.75 \]

This means that when the kitten is just born (0 days old), its predicted weight is 2.75 ounces.

Therefore, the correct interpretation in terms of the scenario is:

2.75; a kitten who is just born is predicted to weigh 2.75 ounces.