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Group Activity for use with Lesson 2.5

ACTIVITY 2.5

Developing Concepts Fitting a Line to a Set of Data

 QUESTION How can you approximate the best-fitting line for a set
GROUP ACTIVITY of data?
Work in a small group. Distance from Length of line
MATERIALS  EXPLORING THE CONCEPT projector to
screen (cm), x
segment on
screen (cm), y
• overhead projector 1 Draw a line segment 15 centimeters long on an
• overhead transparency
200 ?
overhead transparency. Place the transparency
• metric ruler 210 ?
• meter stick on an overhead projector. First measure the
distance (in centimeters) from the overhead 220 ?
• graph paper
projector to the screen, and then measure the 230 ?
length (in centimeters) of the line segment as it 240 ?
appears on the screen. Record the data in a
250 ?
table like the one shown.
260 ?
2 Repeat Step 1 using nine other locations of the
overhead projector. 270 ?
280 ?
3 Graph the data pairs (x, y). Describe the
pattern of the data. 290 ?

4 Use a ruler to draw a line that lies as close as possible to all of the points on the
graph. The line does not have to pass through any of the points. Your line is an
approximation of the best-fitting line for the data.

 DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
1. Find the slope of your line. What does the slope 4. Use your equation from Exercise 3 to estimate the
represent? length of the line segment as it appears on the
screen if the distance from the overhead projector
2. Find the y-intercept of your line. What does the
to the screen is 300 centimeters.
y-intercept represent?
5. Test your prediction from Exercise 4. How
3. Use the slope and y-intercept to write an
accurate was your prediction?
equation of your line.
6. Did every group in your class have the same line?
Did every group have the same prediction?

2.5 Concept Activity 99