least squares

American

noun

Statistics.

a method of estimating values from a set of observations by minimizing the sum of the squares of the differences between the observations and the values to be found.

least squares British

noun

a method for determining the best value of an unknown quantity relating one or more sets of observations or measurements, esp to find a curve that best fits a set of data. It states that the sum of the squares of the deviations of the experimentally determined value from its optimum value should be a minimum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of least squares

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

least squares

The algorithm evolved beyond the conventional least squares method and helped devise a neural circuit model optimized for energy efficiency over diverse walking speeds.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 22, 2024

On your scatter plot, in a different color, construct the least squares line.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 19, 2013

Does the least squares line give an accurate estimate for that year?

From Textbooks ● Sep. 19, 2013

Does the least squares line give an accurate estimate of height?

From Textbooks ● Sep. 19, 2013

The appendix contains an elementary exposition of the method of least squares.

From An Introduction to Chemical Science by Williams, Rufus Phillips

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023