This course has been discontinued
The method of least squares is a powerful tool when used with intelligence and understanding. It is a way of coming up with information from approximate answers to difficult questions in the area of data analysis. The method in its various forms is used in business, finance, banking, engineering, and any other endeavors where data has to be trended, analyzed, or otherwise processed.
This 3-hour interactive online course is part one of a two part series and is a presentation of the “pieces and parts” needed to understand the method of least squares. It is needed in order to make sense of the curve fitting with linear functions, exponential functions, and power functions. We start out the journey with “Quadratic function minimum – method of least squares – theorem 1.” The course progresses through arithmetic mean definition, variance definition, and standard deviation - theorems and definitions. The course also covers origin transform, a device used to simplify data manipulation. The solution of systems of equations in the sense of least squares is derived and illustrated with examples.