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This line is known as the least squares regression line and it can be used to help us understand the relationships between weight and height. Using linear regression, we can find the line that best “fits” our data. From the scatterplot we can clearly see that as weight increases, height tends to increase as well, but to actually quantify this relationship between weight and height, we need to use linear regression. Suppose we’re interested in understanding the relationship between weight and height. If we graph these two variables using a scatterplot, with weight on the x-axis and height on the y-axis, here’s what it would look like: Let weight be the predictor variable and let height be the response variable.
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The other variable, y, is known as the response variable.įor example, suppose we have the following dataset with the weight and height of seven individuals: One variable, x, is known as the predictor variable. Simple linear regression is a statistical method you can use to understand the relationship between two variables, x and y.
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