Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

Under what conditions might it make better sense to use a linear function rather

ID: 2895389 • Letter: U

Question

Under what conditions might it make better sense to use a linear function rather than a quadratic or cubic function that fits a few data points more closely?

Choose the correct answer below.

A.

When the range of the data is less than the average value of the function.

B.

When the few data points which are fit more closely by the quadratic or cubic function seem inconsistent with the other data.

C.

When the linear function already fits at least 20 data points closely.

D.

When the quadratic or cubic function would change the end behavior of the fit.

Explanation / Answer

A linear function fits better than a quadratic or cubic function when we have the risk of end behaviour of the function getting wide away from the actual values in quadratic and cubic functions. Therefore, in such cases, when the data fits a linear model quite alright, we choose it rather than choosing quadratic or cubic model.

Therefore, correct choice is option D for this question.