Problem 3 in Section 3.1

Data from Problem 3

In the following data, x is the diameter of a ponderosa pine in inches measured at breast height and y is a measure of volume number of board feet divided by 10. Test the model y = ax^b by plotting the transformed data. If the model seems reasonable, estimate the parameters a and b of the model graphically.

For Problems 1-6, find a model using the least-squares criterion either on the data or on the transformed data (as appropriate). Compare your results with the graphical fits obtained in the problem set 3.1 by computing the deviations, the maximum absolute deviation, and the sum of the squared deviations for each model. Find a bound on c_max if the model was fit using the least-squares criterion.

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