Mini Lesson Question
Question #1: Distinguish Patterns
Which statement best describes the scatter plot?
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There is an increasing linear pattern.
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There is a decreasing linear pattern.
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There is no pattern.
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There is a nonlinear pattern.
Distinguish Linear Patterns from Nonlinear Patterns
A scatter plot is a graph of numerical data with two variables. If two variables vary together in a predictable way, we say there is a statistical relationship between the two variables.
- When the points of the scatter plot seem to fall along a line, the scatter plot is linear.
- Nonlinear patterns seem to follow a curve.
- If the scatter plot shows no pattern, it means there is no relationship between the variables.
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| There is a relationship. | There is a relationship. | There is no relationship. |
| It appears to be an increasing linear pattern. | It appears to be nonlinear. |
Try it
Try It: Distinguish Linear Patterns from Nonlinear Patterns
At a dinner party, every person shakes hands with every other person present. The scatter plot shows the number of people, x, and the number of handshakes, y.
Is the relationship linear or nonlinear? Be prepared to show your reasoning.
Here is how to describe the relationship:
The scatter plot shows that the number of handshakes increases as the number of people increases. The increase is not at a constant rate, so the relationship is nonlinear.
Check Your Understanding
Which statement best describes the scatter plot?
Multiple Choice:
There is an increasing linear pattern.
There is no pattern.
There is a decreasing linear pattern.
There is a nonlinear pattern.
There is an increasing linear pattern. The points on this graph seem to increase from left to right and form a line.
Video: Distinguishing Linear Patterns
Scatter Plots Example
Watch the video to see scatter plots that show the relationship between study time, shoe size, and test score.