We need to use this equation to predict how many people reported the earthquake after 9 minutes and after 15 minutes. We can substitute these values for x in the equation and evaluate y.
After 9 minutes, the line of best fit predicts that approximately 2863 people would have reported the earthquake. Let's see what number the model predicts after a quarter of an hour.
We have found that after 15 minutes approximately 5149 people would have reported the earthquake if the trend continues.
b Let's compare the predicted results to the observed results.
Minutes
Predicted
Observed
9
2863
2750
15
5149
3200
For 9 minutes, the prediction is higher than the observed number but it is not that much higher. After 15 minutes, the predicted value is significantly higher than the observed value.
Explaining the Results
The line of best fit is a straight line that will continue on with the same slope forever. More than likely, after a certain number of minutes everyone who will report the earthquake has already done so. The trend will slow down and eventually stop growing.
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