Question

response and predictor variables
price is approximately linearly related to size in the house example above. in the scatterplot with price on the vertical ( y ) axis and size on the horizontal ( x ) axis, the regression line slopes upwards. this upward slope means larger houses tend to sell for more than smaller houses. without additional information, a person would predict that a larger house would sell for more than a small house. here, house price is known as the response variable, while house size is the predictor variable.
in a linear regression involving two variables, the response variable is the variable being modeled or predicted, while the predictor variable is the variable used to predict the response.
the response variable often responds in some way to a change in the predictor. knowing the value of a predictor often allows one to predict the response. in a linear regression, the response variable is sometimes called the dependent variable or output or outcome. also, in a linear regression, a predictor variable is sometimes called an independent variable or input or covariate
participation activity
2.2.3 identifying response and predictor variables.

1. in baseball, the batting average is the ratio of a player’s hits to at-bats. an analyst examines a baseball team’s batting average and the number of games won over a season. what is the predictor variable?

∘ batting average
∘ games won

1. a researcher claims that a country’s electricity consumption is higher given a greater gross domestic product (gdp). what is the predictor variable?

∘ electricity consumption
∘ gdp

1. consider predicting a car’s fuel efficiency in miles per gallon from the car’s engine size. what is the response variable?

∘ fuel efficiency
∘ engine size

1. a restaurant owner wishes to model the relationship between mean daily costs and the number of customers served, to help manage future costs. what is the response variable?

∘ daily costs
∘ customers served

Explanation:

1. The predictor variable is used to predict the response. Here, batting average is used to examine (predict) games won.
2. GDP is the variable used to predict the higher electricity consumption, so it is the predictor.
3. The response variable is what is being predicted; fuel efficiency is predicted from engine size.
4. Daily costs are being modeled/predicted using the number of customers, so they are the response.

Answer:

1. A. Batting average
2. B. GDP
3. A. Fuel efficiency
4. A. Daily costs