College

The data in the table below represents the square footage and rents (dollars per month) for apartments in a section of a large city. Complete parts (a) through (c) below.

[tex]
\[
\begin{tabular}{|l|ccccccc|}
\hline
Square Footage, $x$ & 693 & 779 & 831 & 788 & 802 & 900 & 794 \\
\hline
Rent per Month, $R$ & 1460 & 1475 & 1540 & 1500 & 1490 & 1560 & 1505 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\]
[/tex]

(a) Using a graphing utility, draw a scatter diagram of the data, treating square footage as the independent variable. What type of relation appears to exist between square footage and rent? Which graph below is a scatter diagram of the data?

Answer :

To address the question, we need to analyze the relationship between square footage of apartments and their corresponding rent per month. Let's break this down into steps:

### Step 1: Scatter Diagram
A scatter diagram is a graphical representation of two variables, which can help us see if there is a relationship between them. In this case, we plot square footage of apartments on the x-axis and rent per month on the y-axis.

1. Plot the Points:
- Each pair of values represents a point on the graph.
- The values to be plotted are:
- (693, 1460)
- (779, 1475)
- (831, 1540)
- (788, 1500)
- (802, 1490)
- (900, 1560)
- (794, 1505)

2. Draw the Scatter Plot:
- Place each point on a graph according to its coordinates.

### Step 2: Analyze the Relationship
Once the scatter diagram is drawn, you can visually analyze the pattern of the points to determine the type of relationship:

- Positive Linear Relationship: If the points tend to rise from left to right, this indicates that as the square footage increases, the rent also tends to increase.
- Negative Linear Relationship: If the points tend to fall from left to right, it shows an inverse relationship.
- No Clear Pattern: If the points are scattered randomly, there might not be a clear relationship.

### Conclusion
For this dataset, the visual inspection of the scatter diagram is likely to reveal a positive linear relationship, meaning that apartments with larger square footage generally have higher rent. This indicates that as the size of the apartment increases, the rent tends to increase as well.

If you have access to a graphing utility, you can plot these points and verify the pattern. This relationship can also be quantified using statistical methods like correlation and regression, which can provide more detailed insights into the strength and exact nature of the relationship.