Now that we have talked about linear regression, we’ve reached a point of mathematical sophistication that we can apply what we’ve learned. Do some research to find some data with a numerical independent variable (so your horizontal axis can be thought of as ascending from left to right) that is relevant to your interests or your major. If you don’t know where to start to look for such data, consider skimming these listicles or this Reddit thread for inspiration.
Once you find this data, copy it into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and plot the data: click and drag to select the data, then click “Insert” → “Charts” → “Scatter”. Then fit a linear model to the data: select the scatter plot points, then click “Chart Design” → “Add Chart Element” → “Trendline” → “Linear”. Excel calls this regression line a trendline. Double-clicking on the trendline, a panel will open with the option to “Display Equation on chart;” select this.
After creating your chart in Excel, copy it over to Microsoft Word to more easily add you analysis, typeset it nicely, and print it out to turn in.
Save your files for this assignment since we’ll be revisiting it later in the term, and be sure to include a link to the source of your data as a Reference in your report.
My hope is that by keeping this assignment simple, with only a few requirements, you’re afforded time to really dig-in to researching data online that interests you, and time to play in Excel and Word to discover their capabilities.
Deliverable
Next class meeting give me a printed copy of your report containing the plot of the data, the trendline, and the trendline’s equation, marked up with some details and analysis. For you analysis, at least note that the formula for the trendline tells you if the data is increasing or decreasing overall. What does the slope of the formula for you model mean in the context of your data? Is a linear function a good choice of model for your data? What does your linear model predict about the future of the phenomenon your data measures?
Typography Requirements
Design your chart to be clean and self-contained, and design your report to be pleasant to read; there’s no need to double-space the body text. Don’t staple it; try to typeset it to fit on a single page.
For a sample of what I would submit for this assignment, see: