As the air temperature drops, river water becomes supercooled and ice crystals form. Suc...

As the air temperature drops, river water becomes supercooled and ice crystals form. Such ice can significantly affect the hydraulics of a river. The article “Laboratory Study of Anchor Ice Growth” (J. of Cold Regions Engr., 2001: 60–66) described an experiment in which ice thickness (mm) was studied as a function of elapsed time (hr) under specified conditions. The following data was read from a graph in the article: n = 33; x = .17, .33, .50, .67,….,5.50; y = .50, 1.25,

a. The r² value resulting from a least squares fit is .977. Interpret this value and comment on the appropriateness of assuming an approximate linear relationship.

b. The residuals, listed in the same order as the x values, are

Plot the residuals against elapsed time. What does the plot suggest?