A veterinarian collected data on the association between age and mass of Boxer puppies. A line of best fit was computed. The equation for the line is: y = 17.5x + 480. Which BEST interprets the slope of the linear model?
a
Every 17.5 days is associated with an additional 480 grams of mass.
b
The predicted mass of a Boxer puppy at birth.
c
Each additional day is associated with an additional 480 grams of mass.
d
Each additional day is associated with an additional 17.5 grams of mass.
d) Each additional day is associated with an additional 17.5 grams of mass.
d
Each additional day is associated with an additional 17.5 grams of mass.
The equation for the line of best fit in the given problem is y = 17.5x + 480, where x represents age and y represents mass. In this equation, the coefficient next to x represents the slope of the line. So, the slope of the linear model is 17.5.
To interpret the slope, we can say that for every one unit increase in x (age), there is an associated increase of 17.5 units in y (mass).
Looking at the answer choices:
a) "Every 17.5 days is associated with an additional 480 grams of mass" is not accurate because the slope of 17.5 does not represent time.
b) "The predicted mass of a Boxer puppy at birth" is not accurate because the equation does not provide information about the mass at birth specifically.
c) "Each additional day is associated with an additional 480 grams of mass" is not accurate because the slope of 17.5 does not represent mass.
d) "Each additional day is associated with an additional 17.5 grams of mass" is the correct interpretation. For every one additional day in age, there is an associated increase of 17.5 grams in mass.
Therefore, the best interpretation of the slope of the linear model is d) Each additional day is associated with an additional 17.5 grams of mass.