A scatter plot of the data shows the shape of the data. It is useful when deciding which type of model would be the most accurate. Let's take a look at data that follows a parabolic pattern.
The data in the scatter plot are shaped as a parabola. A graph of a quadratic function is called a parabola.
We can fit a quadratic function to the data. Therefore, a quadratic model best represents data that follow a parabolic pattern.
