What is the primary function of linear regression in the context of data analysis?

"To establish a visual representation of data trends" "To identify outliers within a dataset" "To construct a straight-line equation representing the relationship between variables" "To calculate the average value of a dataset"

In the context of linear regression, what does the term 'residual' represent?

"The difference between the actual y value and the predicted y value" "The slope of the regression line" "The intercept of the regression line" "The correlation coefficient between two variables"

Which software program is commonly used to perform linear regression analysis, as discussed in the text?

"Python" "R" "Excel" "SPSS"

What is the significance of the slope and intercept values obtained from a linear regression analysis?

"They determine the strength of the relationship between variables" "They are used to predict the value of the dependent variable based on the independent variable" "They indicate the presence of outliers in the dataset" "They represent the overall variability within the dataset"