Regression analysis
Regression analysis is concerned with finding the deviations for one value from another. The simplest way of understanding regression analysis is through the graphs for functions in mathematics. You might recall the graph for the f(x) = y function:
Figure 16.12 – Graph for the f(x) = y function
For every value of x, the function results in a fixed value for y. Regression analysis is somewhat similar to the preceding graph as it is concerned with finding a relationship between variables. More specifically, it estimates relationships between a dependent variable and several independent variables. The dependent variable is also known as an outcome, while the independent variables are also referred to as features. The number of features might be 1.
The most common form of regression analysis is linear regression. It looks similar to the preceding graph. Here’s an example representing the relationship between hours spent...