Example of a matrix of plots with smoother lines
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You are analyzing bear measurement data collected by a wildlife agency. The scales normally used to weigh bears in the field are cumbersome, and you hope to find simpler measurements that can act as reliable predictors of weight. Because it is unclear which variables are closely related to weight, create a simple matrix of plots with smoother to determine the relationship among the measurements.

1    Open the worksheet BEARS2.MTW.

2    Choose Graph > Matrix Plot.

3    Choose Matrix of plots - With Smoother, then click OK.

4    In Graph variables, enter 'Head.L'  'Head.W'  'Neck.G'  'Chest.G'  'Weight'.

5    Click Matrix Options.

6    Under Matrix Display, choose Lower left. Click OK in each dialog box.

Graph window output

Interpreting the results

From this matrix of plots, chest girth and neck girth in a bear seem to be closely correlated with weight. It looks promising that you will be able to predict weight using other measurements. The smoother lines indicate that the relationships among the variables tend to have a slight degree of curvature.