Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists, Updated 9th Edition, by Pearson

Chapter 11

Simple Linear Regression and Correlation

11.1 Introduction to Linear Regression

Often, in practice, one is called upon to solve problems involving sets of variables when it is known that there exists some inherent relationship among the variables. For example, in an industrial situation it may be known that the tar content in the outlet stream in a chemical process is related to the inlet temperature. It may be of interest to develop a method of prediction, that is, a procedure for estimating the tar content for various levels of the inlet temperature from experimental information. Now, of course, it is highly likely that for many example runs in which the inlet temperature is the same, say 130°C, the outlet tar content will not be ...