Question

baruti, a ranger in kruger national park in south africa, collected data about the elephant population in the park. she compared the foot lengths of the elephants and their shoulder height (both in centimeters) and created the following scatter plot. which of the following is the best estimate of the average change in shoulder height associated with a 1 cm increase in foot length? choose 1 answer: a 1 cm b 2 cm c 6 cm d 12 cm

Explanation:

Step1: Recall slope concept

The average change in shoulder height associated with a 1 - cm increase in foot length is the slope of the line of best - fit for the scatter plot.

Step2: Estimate slope visually

If we assume a line of best - fit for the scatter plot of foot length (x - variable) and shoulder height (y - variable), we can pick two points on the line of best - fit. Let's say we consider a change in x (foot length) of a reasonable amount, like 10 cm. If we estimate that for a 10 - cm increase in foot length, the shoulder height increases by about 60 cm.
The slope $m=\frac{\Delta y}{\Delta x}$. Here, $\Delta x = 10$ cm and $\Delta y=60$ cm, so $m = \frac{60}{10}=6$ cm/cm. This means that for a 1 - cm increase in foot length, the average change in shoulder height is about 6 cm.

Answer:

C. 6 cm