Trend in Iraq War casualties. While the United States was still actively fighting in the Iraq War, a news media outlet produced a graphic showing a dramatic decline in the annual number of American casualties. The number of deaths for the years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 were

(approximately) 475, 850, 820, and 130, respectively.

a. Create a scatterplot showing the dramatic decline in the number of American deaths per year.

b. The graphic was based on data collected through February 2006. Knowing this fact, why is the time series plot misleading?

c. What information would you like to have in order to construct a graph that accurately reflects the trend in American casualties from the Iraq War?