Question 4 (12 marks)

In a study on the dolphins' ability to use their sonar to detect and locate prey, data was collected on thesound pressure of sonar signals ("clicks") that came from a dolphin as a function of the Range that was the distance (in metres) to the measuring equipment. The measurements were made off the coast of Iceland near Keflavik in 1998 and are available in the fileDolphin data.xlxsthat can be downloaded fromthe Moodle page in the "Assignments" block.

a)Test what type of mathematical function best fits this data. Your answer must show all necessary plots as evidence.

b)State the best equation that describes the relationship between the sound pressure and the distance.