[Campbell Biology P.800] According to the provided text, what is the initial step required b... | Practice Question

According to the provided text, what is the initial step required before calculating the standard deviations s x, s y and the correlation coefficient r for the given data set?

  • A: Plotting the regression line on a graph.
  • B: Calculating the mean age (x̄) and mean brain volume (ȳ).
  • C: Determining the expected brain volume for a specific hominin.
  • D: Estimating the time for brain volume to increase by 100 cm³.

Explanation

Question 1 explicitly states: 'Calculate the means x̄ and ȳ from the n = 8 data points in the table. Next, fill in the xᵢ – x̄ and yᵢ – ȳ columns in the data table, and use those results to calculate the standard deviations sₓ and sᵧ.' Therefore, calculating the means is the very first step.