Scatter Plot Word Problems Worksheet
This worksheet provides grade 11 students with practice solving word problems involving scatter plots, correlation, and lines of best fit.
Includes
Standards
Topics
Scatter Plot Word Problems
Name:
Date:
Score:
Read each word problem carefully. For problems requiring a graph, plot the data on the provided coordinate plane. Answer all questions thoroughly, showing your work where applicable.
1. An ice cream vendor recorded the daily high temperature (in °F) and the number of ice creams sold for 10 days:
Temperatures: 68, 70, 72, 75, 78, 80, 82, 85, 88, 90
Ice Creams Sold: 120, 125, 130, 140, 155, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200
a) Plot the data on the graph below. Label your axes.
b) Describe the correlation between temperature and ice cream sales.
c) Draw a line of best fit on your scatter plot.
d) Using your line of best fit, predict the number of ice creams sold if the temperature is 77°F. Show your work.
2. A teacher recorded the number of hours students studied for a test and their corresponding test scores. The scatter plot showed a strong positive linear correlation.
a) If a student studied for 3 hours and scored 75, and another student studied for 5 hours and scored 85, approximately how many points on the test does each additional hour of studying contribute, according to the line of best fit? Each additional hour of studying contributes approximately points.
b) If the equation of the line of best fit is y = 5x + 60, where x is hours studied and y is the test score, predict the score of a student who studied for 4.5 hours. The predicted score is .
c) In this scenario, the independent variable is and the dependent variable is .
3. The age of a car (in years) and its value (in thousands of dollars) are shown in a scatter plot. The correlation coefficient is approximately -0.95. Which statement best describes the relationship?
As the car gets older, its value slightly increases.
There is a strong negative linear relationship between the car's age and its value.
There is no significant relationship between the car's age and its value.
The car's value randomly fluctuates regardless of its age.
4. Determine whether the following statements are True or False regarding correlation and causation.
a) A strong correlation between two variables always implies that one causes the other.
True
False
b) If two variables have a correlation coefficient close to zero, it means there is no relationship between them.
True
False
5. A researcher created a scatter plot showing the relationship between the amount of fertilizer used (in grams) and the height of a plant (in cm). They then calculated the line of best fit. Explain what a 'residual' means in this context and how it can be used to assess the fit of the model.