# 10: Correlation and Regression


Regression analysis is a statistical process for estimating the relationships among variables and includes many techniques for modeling and analyzing several variables. When the focus is on the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.

• 10.0: Prelude to Linear Regression and Correlation
In this chapter, you will be studying the simplest form of regression, "linear regression" with one independent variable (x). This involves data that fits a line in two dimensions. You will also study correlation which measures how strong the relationship is.
• 10.1: Testing the Significance of the Correlation Coefficient
The correlation coefficient tells us about the strength and direction of the linear relationship between x and y. However, the reliability of the linear model also depends on how many observed data points are in the sample. We need to look at both the value of the correlation coefficient r and the sample size n, and perform a hypothesis test of the "significance of the correlation coefficient" to decide whether the linear relationship in the sample data is strong enough to use to linear model.
• 10.2: The Regression Equation
A regression line, or a line of best fit, can be drawn on a scatter plot and used to predict outcomes for the x and y variables in a given data set or sample data. There are several ways to find a regression line, but usually the least-squares regression line is used because it creates a uniform line. Residuals measure the distance from the actual value of y and the estimated value of y . The Sum of Squared Errors, when set to its minimum, calculates the points on the line of best fit.
• 10.3: Outliers
In some data sets, there are values (observed data points) called outliers. Outliers are observed data points that are far from the least squares line. They have large "errors", where the "error" or residual is the vertical distance from the line to the point.
• 10.E: Linear Regression and Correlation (Optional Exercises)
These are homework exercises to accompany the Textmap created for "Introductory Statistics" by OpenStax.