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Note that the R-squared value is 0.9407, which is a relatively good fit of the line to the data.Ī polynomial trendline is a curved line that is used when data fluctuates. The following example uses a logarithmic trendline to illustrate predicted population growth of animals in a fixed-space area, where population leveled out as space for the animals decreased. A logarithmic trendline can use negative and/or positive values.
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Notice that the R-squared value is 0.9036, which is a good fit of the line to the data.Ī logarithmic trendline is a best-fit curved line that is most useful when the rate of change in the data increases or decreases quickly and then levels out. In the following example, a linear trendline clearly shows that refrigerator sales have consistently risen over a 13-year period. A linear trendline usually shows that something is increasing or decreasing at a steady rate. Your data is linear if the pattern in its data points resembles a line. If you want, you can display this value on your chart.Ī linear trendline is a best-fit straight line that is used with simple linear data sets. When you fit a trendline to your data, Graph automatically calculates its R-squared value. Trendline reliability A trendline is most reliable when its R-squared value is at or near 1. The type of data you have determines the type of trendline you should use. When you want to add a trendline to a chart in Microsoft Graph, you can choose any of the six different trend/regression types.
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