A botanist collected data on the growth of sunflowers to maturity. She modeled the equation y=x + 1/2 for the line of best fit. The independent variable, x, is time in weeks and the dependent variable, y, is height in feet. What does the y-intercept mean in this context?
Responses
A The sunflower's starting height is 1 foot.
B The sunflower's starting height is 1 / 2 foot.
C The sunflower's height increases by an additional 1 foot each week.
D The sunflower's height increases by an additional 1/2 foot each week.
The correct answer is B) The sunflower's starting height is 1/2 foot.
The y-intercept represents the value of y (height) when x (time) is equal to zero. In this case, when the time is zero (the start), the height of the sunflower is 1/2 foot.