1. The problem asks to interpret the meaning of $r^2$ (coefficient of determination) in the context of explaining variation between two variables. 2. The formula for $r^2$ is: $$r^2 = \frac{\text{Explained Variation}}{\text{Total Variation}} \times 100\%$$ This tells us the percentage of the variation in the dependent variable that can be explained by the independent variable. 3. Important rule: $r^2$ ranges from 0 to 1 (or 0% to 100%). A higher $r^2$ means a better fit of the model. 4. In this context, if $r^2$ is given, it means that $r^2 \times 100\%$ of the variation in the dependent variable (e.g., wine quality) can be explained by the variation in the independent variable (e.g., alcohol content). 5. So, if the question is "enter your response here % of the variation in wine quality can be explained by the variation in alcohol content," then the interpretation is: "$r^2 \times 100\%$ of the variation in wine quality can be explained by the variation in alcohol content." 6. Round the percentage to one decimal place as needed. Final answer: The $r^2$ value represents the percentage of variation in the dependent variable (wine quality) explained by the independent variable (alcohol content).