Book Image

Machine Learning with R

By : Brett Lantz
Book Image

Machine Learning with R

By: Brett Lantz

Overview of this book

Machine learning, at its core, is concerned with transforming data into actionable knowledge. This fact makes machine learning well-suited to the present-day era of "big data" and "data science". Given the growing prominence of R—a cross-platform, zero-cost statistical programming environment—there has never been a better time to start applying machine learning. Whether you are new to data science or a veteran, machine learning with R offers a powerful set of methods for quickly and easily gaining insight from your data. "Machine Learning with R" is a practical tutorial that uses hands-on examples to step through real-world application of machine learning. Without shying away from the technical details, we will explore Machine Learning with R using clear and practical examples. Well-suited to machine learning beginners or those with experience. Explore R to find the answer to all of your questions. How can we use machine learning to transform data into action? Using practical examples, we will explore how to prepare data for analysis, choose a machine learning method, and measure the success of the process. We will learn how to apply machine learning methods to a variety of common tasks including classification, prediction, forecasting, market basket analysis, and clustering. By applying the most effective machine learning methods to real-world problems, you will gain hands-on experience that will transform the way you think about data. "Machine Learning with R" will provide you with the analytical tools you need to quickly gain insight from complex data.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Machine Learning with R
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
9
Finding Groups of Data – Clustering with k-means
Index

Chapter 6. Forecasting Numeric Data – Regression Methods

Mathematical relationships describe many aspects of everyday life. For example, a person's body weight can be described in terms of his or her calorie intake; one's income can be related to years of education and job experience; and the president's odds of being re-elected can be estimated by popular opinion poll numbers.

In each of these cases, numbers specify precisely how the data elements are related. An additional 250 kilocalories consumed daily is likely to result in nearly a kilogram of weight gain per month. Each year of job experience may be worth an additional $1,000 in yearly salary while years of education might be worth $2,500. A president is more likely to be re-elected with a high approval rating. Obviously, these types of equations do not perfectly model every case, but on average, the rules might work fairly well.

A large body of work in the field of statistics describes techniques for estimating such numeric relationships...