The goals of this note are to derive formulas for the coefficients a and b in the least-squares regression plane y = at + bx + c for observations (t[subscript]i,x[subscript]i,y[subscript]i), i = 1, 2, ..., n, and to present meanings for the coefficients a and b. In this note, formulas for the coefficients a and b in the least-squares fit are…

The normal equations discussed in this paper for a least-squares parabolic fit have a unique solution if and only if there are at least three different x-values in the observations. This requirement is satisfied by most real sets of quantitative observations. For particular data sets, the appropriateness of parabolic fits should be assessed with…

Analyzes students' calculations of appliance efficiency using basic arithmetic and provides examples of energy guide labels that illustrate applications of algebra and statistical concepts. (KHR)

Provides nine examples of one assignment in which students were asked to write a brief description of an assignment to be posted on the web for all class members to read. (Author/ASK)