MPM1D Scatter Plots

________________________________________
The system developed by René Descartes for graphing points as ordered pairs on a grid. Also
referred to as the Cartesian plane, the coordinate grid, or the 𝑥𝑦-plane.

______________ - The interval that your 𝑥 and 𝑦 values increase by. A scale should use up as
much of the grid as possible.

Points are listed as __________________ (think “XYZ” from the alphabet)

Graph these points and label them on the graph.

a. (2, 3) e. (5, 5)
b. (−1, 4) f. (0, 0)
c. (6, −7) g. (−3, −8)
d. (9, 0) h. (0, 6)

____________________________- A graph which shows two-variable data as points plotted

on a coordinate grid.

____________________________- The variable that you need to know first. It determines the
value of the dependent variable. We place these variables on the 𝑥-axis. These are usually
values that you choose.

____________________________- The variable which depends on the other, independent

variable. We place these variables on the 𝑦-axis. These are usually values that you measure in
an experiment.
Mr. Brar Grade 9 Academic
Question 1 Identify the independent and dependent variables in each situation

a) Does the outdoor temperature affect the amount of fuel needed to heat a house?

b) Is there a relationship between people’s ages and their heights?

c) Does the mark on a test depend on the number of hours spent on homework?

Title
Dependent Variable (units)

8
7
6
5
4 ** Your scatter plots should always have a title, be
3 done in pencil and be done neatly **
2
1
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Independent Variable (units)

Scatter Plot Checklist

❑ The independent variable goes on horizontal axis (𝑥-axis).

❑ The dependent variable goes on vertical axis (𝑦-axis).
❑ The scale should be selected so that at least half of the graph paper is used.
❑ The scale should be even.
❑ The axes should be labelled, with units.
❑ The title should relate to the graph.
❑ The points should be plotted correctly.

Mr. Brar Grade 9 Academic

Making a Scale
1. Determine the range in values
2. Count # of boxes
3. Divide the range by the number of boxes to determine a scale. Try to pick numbers with
nice multiples (going up by 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 1000).

Question 2
In 2000, a law was passed against the use of cell phones while driving in Anytown. What should
the scale be for the 𝑥 and 𝑦-axis be for the four different grids below?
Cell Phone Use While Driving in Anytown

Year Number of People

2000 309
2001 274
2002 256
2003 238
2004 197
2005 203
2006 195
2007 192

a) 𝑥-axis scale _____ 𝑦-axis scale _____.

b) 𝑥-axis scale _____ 𝑦-axis scale _____

c) 𝑥-axis scale _____ 𝑦-axis scale _____

d) 𝑥-axis scale _____ 𝑦-axis scale _____

a) b)

c)

d)

Mr. Brar Grade 9 Academic

Question 3

Hours Test A study was conducted which examines the number of hours a student
Slept Score sleeps before a test, and their performance. The table to the left shows
the results of this data.
8 83
7 86 1. What is the independent variable? ______________________
7 74
8 88 2. What is the dependent variable? ______________________
6 76
5 63 3. Make a scatter plot of the data.
7 90
4 60
9 89
7 81

A scatter plot can help you see if there is a relationship between two variables.

If a relationship exists, the points in a scatter plot will show a general pattern, or ___________.

_________________ is a point separated from the main body of data on the graph.

Sometimes an outlier results from a measurement error or from some factor that affects only a
few of the observed values for a variable. If you can show that an outlier is inaccurate or
unrepresentative you can leave it out of your calculations. Otherwise, you should include it.

Mr. Brar Grade 9 Academic