Algebra 2 Companion Book, Volume 2

6.2.5 Curve Fitting with Polynomial Models (continued) Example 3 Finance Application

Often, real-world data can be too irregular to use finite differences or find a polynomial function that fits perfectly. In these situations, create a scatter plot of the data and choose a polynomial function based on the general shape of the data in the graph. Then, use the regression feature on a graphing calculator to create the function. Compare the R 2 -values for different types of polynomial functions to determine which is the best model for the data. The closer the R 2 -value is to 1, the better the function fits the data.

82

Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online