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A set of readings is fitted with a straight line and the correlation figure comes out very close to zero. What does that say about the plotted dots?
AThey sit almost exactly along one line
BThey are widely scattered about the line
CThey form a neat curve instead of a line
DThey all share one and the same value
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. They are widely scattered about the line
1. The correlation figure measures how closely the dots hug the fitted line.
2. A figure close to 1 or close to minus 1 means the dots sit tightly along the line.
3. A figure close to zero means the opposite, so the dots are spread widely about it.
4. Option A describes what a figure near 1 would mean, which is the usual mix-up here.
5. So the dots are widely scattered, option B.
_Source: OpenStax College Algebra (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Linear Functions", section 4.3 Fitting Linear Models to Data_
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