Module 16: Background You’ll Need 3

  • Decide if a linear model is reasonable and describe the coefficient of determination

Students in an introductory statistics class at The University of Queensland participated in a simple experiment.[1]

The students are interested in building a model that can be used to estimate a student’s weight based on the student’s height.


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The coefficient of determination ([latex]R^2[/latex]) is a measure of the proportion of the variation of a response variable in linearly related bivariate data that can be explained by its relationship with the explanatory variable. 

  1. Wilson, R. J. (n.d.). Pulse rates before and after exercise. StatSci.org. http://www.statsci.org/data/oz/ms212.html