alleryStart learning →Interpreting the slope b in a fitted line means reading it as the change in y for:
AA one-unit rise in y
BA doubling of x
CA halving of x
DA one-unit rise in x
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. A one-unit rise in x
1. The slope is the ratio of vertical change to horizontal change.
2. For the linear equation y = a + bx, b is the slope and a is the y-intercept.
3. Increasing x by one therefore increases the predicted y by b.
4. That is what makes the slope the quantity of practical interest in a regression.
5. Doubling or halving x would change y by an amount depending on where you started.
_Source: OpenStax Introductory Statistics 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 12 'Linear Regression and Correlation', sections 12.1-12.6_
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