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.

options:

Was your height greater than 60 cm before your last birthday?
Was your height greater than 60 cm before your last birthday?

What kind of car does your family drive?
What kind of car does your family drive?

What percentage of families in Florida had a radio in 1930?
What percentage of families in Florida had a radio in 1930?

What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite color?

How tall are the students in your grade level at school?
How tall are the students in your grade level at school?

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 in context, you need a statistical question that involves quantitative data, where you can analyze relationships between two variables.

From the provided options, the following questions would be appropriate:

  1. How tall are the students in your grade level at school?

    • This question involves gathering height data (a quantitative variable) that could be plotted on a scatter plot against another variable, such as age or grade level.
  2. How is college student enrollment changing over the last century?

    • This question is also suitable as it could involve time (years) as one variable and the number of enrolled students as the other variable. It allows for analyzing trends and drawing a line of best fit.

The other options do not provide quantitative data suitable for a scatter plot:

  • "Was your height greater than 60 cm before your last birthday?" is a yes/no question and does not provide numerical data.
  • "What kind of car does your family drive?" is categorical data and not suitable for quantitative analysis.
  • "What percentage of families in Florida had a radio in 1930?" does not provide data suitable for plotting individual data points; instead, it provides a single statistic.
  • "What is your favorite color?" is also categorical and unsuitable for a scatter plot.

So, the good statistical questions to ask for your purpose are:

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