4 ms·

Sure, you could just as well predict one from the other. But the question asks "What is the following is the best interpretation of the _slope_ of the line of b

by Chinjut 12y ago

Sure, you could just as well predict one from the other. But the question asks "What is the following is the best interpretation of the _slope_ of the line of best fit in the context of this problem?", and you are expected to interpret "slope" in the usual jargon sense (as the the ratio of vertical change to horizontal change, rather than vice versa). (By "vertical" and "horizontal" here, I mean with respect to the graph, not the interpretation, although it happens to be the case that the vertical axis corresponds to height and the horizontal axis corresponds to length.)

keypusher 12y ago
This then seems like less of a test of math ability and more of a test of whether or not you have effectively absorbed the jargon and conventions around certain math concepts. Maybe that's what they want, but it doesn't really seem like problem solving at all.
- copascetic 12y ago
  See my other response, but I don't think you're giving the question enough credit. The other responses don't mention the fact that the line would likely be different if we swapped the variables. The question tests both whether you know what a line of best fit represents, and also whether you know that the correlation in one direction is not necessarily equal to the correlation in the other direction. This is something that could be covered in an algebra class with a unit on linear regression. I remember seeing a demonstration and explanation of this in mine.
  - bsder 12y ago
    Except that there is no reason to choose the correlation in one direction versus the other in the given problem. It's a bad question.
- nilkn 12y ago
  The definition of slope is an extremely basic fact from middle school math. This isn't exactly crazy trivia.
- jlarocco 12y ago
  To be fair, knowing the jargon and conventions is almost just as important as knowing how to solve problems. If nothing else, in college, most of the problems will be posed in terms of standard jargon and conventions, so it helps to know it.

by Chinjut 12y ago

keypusher 12y ago

This then seems like less of a test of math ability and more of a test of whether or not you have effectively absorbed the jargon and conventions around certain math concepts. Maybe that's what they want, but it doesn't really seem like problem solving at all.

copascetic 12y ago
See my other response, but I don't think you're giving the question enough credit. The other responses don't mention the fact that the line would likely be different if we swapped the variables. The question tests both whether you know what a line of best fit represents, and also whether you know that the correlation in one direction is not necessarily equal to the correlation in the other direction. This is something that could be covered in an algebra class with a unit on linear regression. I remember seeing a demonstration and explanation of this in mine.
- bsder 12y ago
  Except that there is no reason to choose the correlation in one direction versus the other in the given problem. It's a bad question.
nilkn 12y ago
The definition of slope is an extremely basic fact from middle school math. This isn't exactly crazy trivia.
jlarocco 12y ago
To be fair, knowing the jargon and conventions is almost just as important as knowing how to solve problems. If nothing else, in college, most of the problems will be posed in terms of standard jargon and conventions, so it helps to know it.