Example 2

Lindsay created the following table, which shows the population of fruit flies over the last 10 weeks. She estimates that the population of fruit flies can be represented by the equation [math]y = 46x – 40[/math]. Using residuals, determine if her representation is a good estimate.

[list=1] [*]Find the estimated population at each [i]x[/i]-value. [*]Find the residuals by finding each difference between the observed population and estimated population. [*]Create a residual plot. [*]Analyze the residual plot to determine if the function is a good estimate for the data. [/list] This applet is provided by Walch Education as supplemental material for their mathematics programs. Visit [url="http://www.walch.com"]www.walch.com[/url] for more information on their resources.