Question

A biologist measured the length and mass of 20 reptiles. The equation y = 0.3x - 2 is the line of best fit for the data, where x is the length, incentimeters, and y is the mass, in grams.Based on the equation, what is the approximate length of a reptile that has a mass of 20.5 grams?

Answer 1

If the mass is 20.5 grams, then you have to replace y = 20.5 in the equation.

20.5 = 0.3x - 2

and solve for x, as follows:

20.5 + 2 = 0.3x

22.5 = 0.3x

22.5/0.3 = x

75 = x

The approximate length is 75 cm