Teacher Notes
Purpose
This unit is designed to help students visualize topics associated with
lines of regression, given a set of data points.
Objectives
Upon completion of these lessons, students will
" Be able to accurately display a set of data points on a scatter
plot, in two and three dimensions
" Be able to fit a line of regression to a set of data points
" Be able to calculate the correlation coefficient using a calculator
or other statistical software
Standards
The activities in this unit address the following NCTM Standards:
" select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data
" for bivariate measurement data, be able to display a scatter plot,
describe its shape, and determine regression coefficients, regression
equations, and correlation coefficients using technological tools
The activities in this unit address the following standards in the Advanced
Placement Statistics syllabus:
" Analyzing patterns in scatterplots
" Correlation and linearity
" Least squares regression line
" Residual plots, outliers, and influential points
Use data analysis ideas to solve problems in, and gain insights
into, other disciplines and other areas of interest such as the census,
traffic patterns, and sports.
Teacher Preparation
Students will need
" Access to a browser
" Pencil and Paper
Students should have had some exposure to the coordinate plane and graphing points on the plane.