Practice question · Multiple choice
Experimenters often plot data so the expected relationship becomes a straight line. Why go to that trouble instead of fitting the curve directly?
Hints
- Ask whether you could spot a slightly wrong exponent on a log-log plot.
- Now ask the same about a curved plot.
Show the answer
A. Because a straight line is easy to judge by eye
Why
The eye is an excellent straight-line detector and a poor curve detector. Linearising turns model-checking into something you can do by looking.
Practise Graphical Analysis and Curve Fitting
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