A sociologist was hired by a large city hospital to investigate the relationship between the number of unauthorized days that employees are absent per year and the distance (miles) between home and work for the employees. A sample of 10 employees was chosen, and the following data were collected.

Distance to Work (miles) Number of Days Absent
1 9
3 6
4 9
6 8
8 7
10 2
12 4
14 3
14 5
18 1

Required:
a. Develop the least squares estimated regression equation used to predict the number of days absent given a certain distance to work.
b. Is there a significant relationship between the two variables? Use α = 0.05.
c. Did the estimated regression equation provide a good fit? Explain.
d. Is the estimated regression equation appropriate and adequate?
e. Are there any outliers in the data? If yes, identify them.