Testing b and finding a confidence interval for β Plate tectonics and the spread of the ocean floor

Testing b and finding a confidence interval for β

Plate tectonics and the spread of the ocean floor are very important topics in modern studies of earthquakes and earth science in general. A random sample of islands in the Indian Ocean gave the following information.

x = age of volcanic island in the Indian Ocean (units in 10⁶ years)

y = distance of the island from the center of the midoceanic ridge (units in 100 kilometers)

x	120	83	60	50	35	30	20	17
y	30	16	15.5	14.5	22	18	12	0

(a) Starting from raw data values (x, y), the first step is simple but tedious. In short, you may verify (if you wish) that

(b) The next step is to compute b, a, and S_e. Using a calculator, statistical software, or the formulas, we get Use an a = 5% level of significance to test the claim that b is positive.

(d) Find a 75% confidence interval for b.