In a line of best fit, the constant term is the vertical intercept, where the line crosses the output axis. Read the axis labels to see what each quantity measures, then describe that crossing in the story. The line gives a prediction, which may differ from a nearby measured dot. The number multiplying the input describes change per input, not the intercept.
Hints
- Hint 1
An intercept is where a line crosses an axis. The constant term gives the vertical-axis crossing, where the horizontal variable equals zero. What does zero on the camera axis mean?
- Hint 2
A line of best fit predicts values; a scatterplot dot records an actual result. Use the line's crossing, not a nearby dot, and read its coordinates using the axis labels.
Step-by-step
Read the line's vertical intercept
Step 1Locate the constant term on the graph
No Desmos needed. The drawn line already shows its vertical-axis crossing.
The line meets the sightings axis at . A point on that axis has zero cameras, so the crossing is . The vertical intercept is the model's output when its input is .
- Step 2
Describe the prediction in context
(read “s-hat”) means predicted sightings, not an actual count from a dot. So means the line predicts deer sightings in one week when trail cameras are deployed. Choice A.