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Tessa owns a small clothes shop in a seaside town - Edexcel - A-Level Maths Mechanics - Question 2 - 2018 - Paper 1

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Tessa owns a small clothes shop in a seaside town. She records the weekly sales figures, £w, and the average weekly temperature, t °C, for 8 weeks during the summer.... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:Tessa owns a small clothes shop in a seaside town - Edexcel - A-Level Maths Mechanics - Question 2 - 2018 - Paper 1

Step 1

Stating your hypotheses clearly and using a 5% level of significance, test whether or not the correlation between sales figures and average weekly temperature is negative.

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Answer

To test the hypothesis, we state:

  • Null hypothesis (H0): ρ = 0 (There is no correlation between temperature and sales figures)
  • Alternative hypothesis (H1): ρ < 0 (There is a negative correlation)

Given the product moment correlation coefficient, r = -0.915, we compare this to the critical value of -0.6215 for a 5% level of significance. Since -0.915 < -0.6215, we reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there is a significant negative correlation between sales figures and average weekly temperature.

Step 2

Suggest a possible reason for this correlation.

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Answer

A possible reason for this correlation is that as temperatures rise, people tend to spend more time on the beach and less time shopping for clothes. This reduces sales in Tessa's shop.

Step 3

State, giving a reason, whether or not the correlation coefficient is consistent with Tessa's suggestion.

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Answer

The correlation coefficient of -0.915 is consistent with Tessa's suggestion because it indicates a strong negative correlation between temperature and sales, supporting the idea that higher temperatures lead to lower sales.

Step 4

State, giving a reason, which variable would be the explanatory variable.

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Answer

The average weekly temperature (t) will be the explanatory variable, as it is likely to influence the sales figures (w) by affecting customer behavior.

Step 5

Give an interpretation of the gradient of this regression equation.

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Answer

The gradient of the regression equation, -171, indicates that for each degree rise in temperature, there is an associated decrease of £171 in weekly sales. This demonstrates the strong negative impact of temperature on Tessa's sales figures.

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