Asked by mikaela

hy is a data point with an​ x-coordinate of 0 a good point to use when creating a trend line for a data​ set? The graph shows the altitude of a weather balloon over time. The trend line passes through the points ​(0​,447​) and ​(10​,533​). Write the equation of a trend line for the data shown in the graph. After how many minutes is the balloon at an altitude of 498.6 feet above sea​ level?

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Why use x = 0? Because x = 0 is the starting time so its y-value is the y‑intercept (the initial altitude). Using it makes the line easy to write and often is an exact measured point.

Find the trend line through (0, 447) and (10, 533):

Slope m = (533 − 447)/(10 − 0) = 86/10 = 8.6.

Equation: y = 8.6x + 447 (y in feet, x in minutes).

Solve 8.6x + 447 = 498.6:
8.6x = 51.6 → x = 51.6/8.6 = 6.

So the balloon is at 498.6 ft after 6 minutes.