Question

Which two points should the line of best fit go through to best represent the data in the scatterplot?

On a graph, points are at (1, 16), (2, 15), (3, 14), (4, 9), (5, 8), and (6, 1).
(1, 16) and (2, 15)
(1, 16) and (6, 1)
(2, 15) and (4, 9)
(5, 8) and (6, 1)

Answer 1

(2, 15) and (4, 9)

Reason: those two lie along the overall downward trend. The line through them has slope (9−15)/(4−2)=−3 and fits the middle of the points (it closely matches the least-squares line), so it best represents the scatter.