alleryStart learning →The line fitted through a scatter plot by regression is called the line of best fit or the:
AThe median line
BThe modal line
CThe boundary line
DLeast-squares line
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Least-squares line
1. Many lines could be drawn through a cloud of points, so one rule picks a single one.
2. The rule minimises the squared vertical distances from the points to the line.
3. The result is called a Line of Best Fit or Least-Squares Line.
4. No other line makes that total squared distance smaller.
_Source: OpenStax Introductory Statistics 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 12 'Linear Regression and Correlation', sections 12.1-12.6_
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