Environmental Data Analysis with MatLab

4. The power of linear models

4.1 Quantitative models, data, and model parameters61

4.2 The simplest of quantitative models63

4.3 Curve fitting64

4.4 Mixtures67

4.5 Weighted averages68

4.6 Examining error71

4.7 Least squares74

4.8 Examples76

4.9 Covariance and the behavior of error79

Problems81

Chapter 4, The Power of Linear Models, develops the theme that making inferences from data occurs when the data are distilled down to a few parameters in a quantitative model of a physical process. An integral part of the process of analyzing data is the development of an appropriate quantitative model. Such a model links to the questions that one aspires to answer, to the parameters on which the model depends, and, ultimately, to the data. We show that many quantitative ...