What does the slope of lines of best fit represent?
2006-11-26 12:44:46 · 3 answers · asked by elizabeth r 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
"Best fit" means to draw the line that "best fits" the data. If you are graphing measurements the data points don't always line up in a nice, neat line so you have to draw a line that best fits the data.
If you have a straight line the slope is a constant and tells you how the dependent variable (y-axis) changes in relation to the independent variable (x-axis). It depends on what you are graphing.
Ex. If you have distance on the y - axis and time on the x - axis, the slope of the line (rise over run or y2-y1/x2-x1) is how distance changes with time = speed.
2006-11-26 12:51:46 · answer #1 · answered by The Old Professor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the average of the gradient (slope) across your data.
2006-11-26 20:47:42 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
how much y reacts to changes in x.
2006-11-26 20:46:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋