If you were going to gather some statistics to create a scatter plot, draw a line of best fit, and interpret the slope and y-intercept in context, which of these would be a good statistical question to ask? Check all that apply.

What kind of car does your family drive?
Was your height greater than 60 cm before your last birthday?
How tall are the students in your grade level at school?
What is your favorite color?
What percentage of families in Florida had a radio in 1930?
How is college student enrollment changing over the last century?

1 answer

To create a scatter plot, draw a line of best fit, and interpret the slope and y-intercept, you would need to gather quantitative data that can be plotted on a graph. Here’s an analysis of the statistical questions listed:

  1. What kind of car does your family drive? - Not a good option since this is qualitative data (categorical) and cannot be plotted on a scatter plot.

  2. Was your height greater than 60 cm before your last birthday? - Not a good option for similar reasons; this is a binary (yes/no) question and does not provide quantitative data for plotting.

  3. How tall are the students in your grade level at school? - Good option! This provides quantitative data on height that can be measured and plotted.

  4. What is your favorite color? - Not a good option; this is a qualitative question and would not provide numerical data for a scatter plot.

  5. What percentage of families in Florida had a radio in 1930? - Not suitable for a scatter plot, as this is a single statistic (not time-series data) and doesn't provide a way to plot two quantitative variables.

  6. How is college student enrollment changing over the last century? - Good option! This implies collecting data over time (years vs. enrollment numbers), allowing for a scatter plot and analysis of trends.

In summary, the good statistical questions for creating a scatter plot, drawing a line of best fit, and interpreting the slope and y-intercept are:

  • How tall are the students in your grade level at school?
  • How is college student enrollment changing over the last century?