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GCSE Maths · Higher · Chapter 3: Statistical diagrams and averages · Lesson 3

Scatter diagrams and correlation

Grades 4–7About 45 minutesCalculator allowed32 marks
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NameClassDate
A

Do Now

Grades 4–6

The first question is what today's lesson needs. The others bring back earlier topics.

  1. A1
    Needed today

    Find the midpoint of and .

    [1 mark]
    Answer
  2. A2
    Last lesson

    Pets owned: by 2 people, by 5, by 5. Find the total number of pets.

    [1 mark]
    Answer
  3. A3
    From chapter 1

    Find the lowest common multiple of and .

    [1 mark]
    Answer
  4. A4
    From chapter 3

    A pie chart shows 90 people. A sector has angle . How many people is that?

    [1 mark]
    Answer
B

Example, then your turn

Grades 5–6

Your teacher works through each example with you. Then try the one beside it.

Example 1

Five readings: , , , , . Find the point the line of best fit passes through.

Hint The line goes through the mean point: the mean with the mean .
  1. B1

    Five readings: , , , , . Find the point the line of best fit passes through.

    [3 marks]
    Answer
Example 2

A line of best fit is , from readings with from to . Estimate at , and say whether can be trusted.

Hint Put the value in. Then ask whether is inside the readings.
  1. B2

    A line of best fit is , from readings with from to . Estimate at , and say whether can be trusted.

    [3 marks]
C

Practice

Grades 5–6
  1. C1

    A line of best fit for test mark against hours of revision is . What does the tell you?

    [1 mark]
  2. C2

    A line of best fit passes through and . Find its gradient.

    [2 marks]
    Answer
  1. C3

    A line of best fit is . Find when .

    [2 marks]
    Answer
  2. C4

    Hat sales and soup sales both rise together. Explain why one need not cause the other.

    [2 marks]
D

Exam-style questions

Grades 6–7
  1. D1

    For children aged to , the line of best fit for height cm against age years is . Ben says, "So a -year-old is cm tall."

    Explain why Ben's estimate cannot be trusted.

    [2 marks]
  1. D2

    Ten students recorded the minutes they spent on homework and the mark they scored in a test.

    020406080100010203040506070Minutes on homeworkTest mark
    (a)

    Describe the correlation.

    [1 mark]
    Answer
    (b)

    One reading is an outlier. Write down its coordinates.

    [1 mark]
    Answer
    (c)

    A line of best fit passes through and . Use it to estimate the mark of a student who spent minutes on homework. You must show your working.

    [3 marks]
    Answer
    Total for D2: 5 marks
  2. D3

    The scatter diagram shows the engine size and the fuel economy of seven cars. Three more cars have engine sizes of , and litres, with fuel economies of , and miles per gallon, in that order.

    3035404550556000.511.522.533.5Engine size (litres)Fuel economy (miles per gallon)
    (a)

    On the scatter diagram, plot the three more cars.

    [2 marks]
    (b)

    Draw a line of best fit on the scatter diagram.

    [1 mark]
    (c)

    Use your line of best fit to estimate the fuel economy of a car with an engine size of litres.

    [1 mark]
    Answer
    (d)

    Describe the relationship between engine size and fuel economy.

    [1 mark]
    Total for D3: 5 marks
E

Extension

Grade 8 and beyond

No route is given. The hints are at the end of the sheet. Use one at a time.

  1. E1

    Ten readings on a scatter diagram have mean point . One of them, , is an outlier and is taken out. Work out the mean point of the nine readings that are left.

    [3 marks]
    Hint 1 · What to try

    The mean point tells you the total of the -values and the total of the -values.

    Hint 2 · The first line

    The ten -values add to and the ten -values add to .

    Hint 3 · The full method

    Taking the outlier out leaves and , over nine readings.

    Answer
F

How did it go?

Colour one circle on each line.
Not yetNearlyYes
I can describe the correlation on a scatter diagram and spot an outlier.
I can find the mean point a line of best fit passes through.
I can read an estimate off a line of best fit and say when it is unreliable.

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