Linear Regression Applet from Seeing StatisticsThis applet illustrates how the best-fitting regression line minimizes the sum of squared errors. The error for each point is the vertical distance, indicated by a red bar, from the point to the provisional line, indicated in blue. The squares of the errors are shown in yellow and their total sum is depicted in the error meter on the left.The data in the applet are from Table 10.2 on p. 176 in Fundamental Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. The substantive issue is the relationship between life-events STRESS experienced by college students and the number of mental health symptoms they report. |
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How-To: Drag or click to move the line so as to reduce the sum of squares. You can find the best line, the one that minimizes the sum of squared errors, by clicking on the "Find Best Model" button. Clicking on the "Hide/Show Errors" button alternates between showing the squared errors and a cleaner picture showing only the points and the regression line.
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The above applet is from the chapter "Correlation and Regression" in Seeing Statistics by Gary McClelland. For more information, visit Seeing Statistics © 1999, Duxbury Press |