Step 1 :The problem provides us with a regression equation \(\hat{y}=8 x-45.5\), and asks us to predict the y value when x is 9.6.
Step 2 :We can do this by substituting x = 9.6 into the equation and calculating the corresponding y value.
Step 3 :Substituting x = 9.6 into the equation gives us \(\hat{y}=8(9.6)-45.5\).
Step 4 :Solving this equation gives us \(\hat{y}=31.3\).
Step 5 :\(\boxed{31.3}\) is the predicted y value when x is 9.6.