Analyzing Departures from Linearity

AP Statistics· difficulty 2/5

Before fitting a least-squares line, an analyst examines the scatterplot.

Why is checking linearity important?

A
$Linearity guarantees no outliers$
B
$Least-squares regression is meaningful only when the relationship is approximately linear$
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C
$Linearity ensures r-squared = 100%$
D
$Without linearity, r equals zero$

Explanation

Fitting a line to nonlinear data yields misleading interpretations and biased predictions.

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