The exam question will tell you which model to use
Your GDC will calculate the constants
Exam Tip
You can use your GDC to plot the scatter diagram and include the graph of a regression model
This will allow you to get a sense of how well the model fits the data
Worked Example
c)Whose model predicts a higher audience rating for a film which is 100 minutes long?
Least Squares Regression Curves
What is a residual?
What is a least squares regression curve?
The least squares regression curve can be thought of as a “curve of best fit” y = f(x)
For a given type of model the least squares regression curve minimises the sum of the square residuals
Your GDC calculates the constants for the least squares regression curves
Why is the sum of the square residuals not always a good measure of fit?
If two models are formed using the same number of pairs of data then the sum of the square residuals is a good measure of fit
Worked Example
The Coefficient of Determination
What is the coefficient of determination?
The coefficient of determination is a measure of fit for a model
If the coefficient of determination is 0.57 this means 57% of the variation of the y-variable can be explained by the variation in the x-variable
The other 43% can be explained by other factors
The higher this proportion the more the model fits the data
How do I calculate the coefficient of determination?
Does the coefficient of determination determine the validity of a model?
If R² is close to 1 then the model fits the data well
However this alone does not guarantee that it is a good model for the relationship between the two variables
Consider the scenario where there are big gaps between data pointsand a model which fits the data well
The model only fits the data at the data points
As there are gaps between the data points the model might not be a good fit for these areas
Different types of models have different number of parameters
Therefore using different types of models to fit the same data will have different levels of accuracy
Linear models need at least two pairs of data
Quadratic models need at least threepairs of data
Cubic models need at least fourpairs of data
Using four pairs of data will mean the cubic model will have R² = 1
This is because the cubic graph will go through all four pieces of data – the value is likely to decrease as extra pairs of data are included
However this does not mean it is a better fit than the quadratic model
The quadratic model could be more accurate as it has one more pair of data than is needed
Worked Exampleb)Based solely on the coefficients of determination, suggest which model is better fit for the data.