Tag Archives: software

Regression Fantasies

Common Reasons for Doubting a Regression Model Finding a model that fits a set of data is one of the most common goals in data analysis. Least squares regression is the most commonly used tool for achieving this goal. It’s … Continue reading

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Regression Fantasies: Part I

Five Common Reasons for Doubting a Regression Model Finding a model that fits a set of data is one of the most common goals in data analysis. Least squares regression is the most commonly used tool for achieving this goal. … Continue reading

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Dealing with Dilemmas

A decade or so ago, I always feared and was the frequent victim of hardware and software problems. It was a logical consequence of a craftsman routinely pushing his tools way beyond the limits of their capabilities. But the software … Continue reading

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Grasping at Flaws

Even if you’re not a statistician, you may one day find yourself in the position of reviewing a statistical analysis that was done by someone else. It may be an associate, someone who works for you, or even a competitor. … Continue reading

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Secrets of Good Correlations

If you’ve ever seen a correlation coefficient, you’ve probably looked at the number and wondered, is that good? Is a correlation of -0.73 good but not a correlation of +0.58? Just what is a good correlation and what makes a … Continue reading

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Fifty Ways to Fix your Data

Fifty Ways to Fix your Data (Sing to the tune of “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon) The problem is all about your scales, she said to me The R-squares will be better if you’ve matched ’em … Continue reading

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Time Is On My Side

If you do much data analysis it won’t be long before you work with data measured over a range of times. When you do see time-series data, you’ll find that time scales and time units have some very quirky properties. … Continue reading

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Weapons of Math Production

In theory, if you have the free time, you can calculate any statistic you might need using nothing more than a pencil and paper. After all, it’s just matrix mathematics. With a lot of data or a complicated procedure, though, … Continue reading

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Try This At Home

We are all awash in statistics. Every day, we see the probability of precipitation, the results of opinion polls, changes in the stock market, your grades in school, or the batting average of the baseball team you follow. It’s surprising, … Continue reading

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Reality Statistics

During the 1970s, statistical analyses were done on mainframe computers that were as big as elephants. They were sequestered in their own climate-controlled quarters, waited on command and reboot by a priesthood of system operators. Conducting a 1970s era statistical … Continue reading

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