A linear model describes the relatioship between the weight in pounds and the age in months for Great Dane puppies:

Question

A linear model describes the relationship between the weight in pounds and the age in months for Great Dane puppies: Weight = 16.25(age in months) - 9.5. The model was created by using weights for puppies aged 2 to 6 months.

a. Use the model to estimate the weight of a puppy at 2 weeks (half a month), 1 year, and 5 years.

b. Does the model make sense for ages outside of 2 to 6 months? Why?

Answer 1

Weight = 16.25·(age in months) - 9.5 pounds

a) Convert each given time into months then plug the value into the weight equation (above) to get the answer. 2 weeks = 0.5 months, 1 year = ___ months, 5 years = ___ months

b) The model is not based on actual puppy weights outside of the 2 to 6 month range, so it is not valid outside of that range. What values did you get in part (a)? Are those weights reasonable for a large dog like a Great Dane? Can a dog weigh negative pounds? Can it weight almost a 1000 pounds? You might want to do a google search on Great Danes to see what their actual weight range is.