Question

when you create a dot plot, you do which of these operations? connect adjacent dots to create a polygon. place a dot along a horizontal scale for each observation. add a vertical axis showing frequency of observations. \pile up\ dots that are too close to show separately.

Explanation:

To determine the correct operation for creating a dot plot, we analyze each option:

• "Connect adjacent dots to create a polygon" is incorrect as dot plots do not involve connecting dots to form polygons (that's for a frequency polygon, but not the dot plot itself).
• "Place a dot along a horizontal scale for each observation" is correct. In a dot plot, we place a dot (or mark) on a horizontal (or vertical) axis for each data point/observation to represent its value.
• "Add a vertical axis showing frequency of observations" is incorrect because a dot plot typically uses the position of dots (not a separate vertical axis for frequency in the same way as a histogram or bar graph; though some variations might, the core operation of creating the dot plot is placing dots for observations).
• "Pile up dots that are too close to show separately" is part of creating a dot plot when values repeat, but the primary operation when creating (initial placement) is placing a dot for each observation. However, among the given options, the most accurate description of the core operation of creating a dot plot (placing dots for each observation) is "Place a dot along a horizontal scale for each observation".

Answer:

The correct option is: Place a dot along a horizontal scale for each observation.