A large city hospital conducted a study 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 employees was selected and the following data were collected. Distance to Work Number of Days (miles) Absent
1 8
3 5
4 8
6 7
8 6
10 3
12 5
14 2
14 4
18 2

Required:
a. Develop the least squares estimated regression equation that relates the distance to work to the number of days absent (to 4 decimals).
y =( ) + ( ) x
b. Predict the number of days absent for an employee that lives 5 miles from the hospital. Round your answer to nearest day.