Question

a researcher studied the relationship between the number of times a certain species of cricket will chirp in one minute and the temperature outside. her data is expressed in the scatter plot and line of best fit below. what is the meaning of the x - value on the line when y = 95?
answer
the number of times the cricket could be expected to chirp if its 95°f.
the actual number of times the cricket chirped when it was 100.3°f.
the actual number of times the cricket chirped when it was 95°f.
the number of times the cricket could be expected to chirp if its 100.3°f.

Explanation:

The line of best fit models the relationship between cricket chirps per minute (x - axis) and temperature (y - axis, in degrees Fahrenheit). When \( y = 95 \) (temperature is 95°F), the x - value on the line of best fit represents the expected number of chirps per minute for that temperature, as the line of best fit gives predicted (expected) values, not actual data points. So we analyze each option:

• Option 1: "The number of times the cricket could be expected to chirp if it’s \( 95^\circ F \)." This matches the interpretation of the line of best fit (predicted value for a given temperature).
• Option 2: The line of best fit is for prediction, not actual values, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The y - value here is 95, not related to an "unknown y", so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: The y - value is 95, not "unknown y", so this is incorrect.

Answer:

The number of times the cricket could be expected to chirp if it’s \( 95^\circ F \).