Title: least squares regression
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - least squares regression
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.10149
Status: current

Definition
Regression that minimizes the sum of squared differences between observed values of a variable and the values predicted by a model.

Note
Least squares regression is used as a synonym for ordinary least squares regression. The full term should be used if there is ambiguity about the kind of regression being performed.

Related Term
- ordinary least squares regression: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/10154

Source
- PAC, 2016, 88, 407. 'Vocabulary of concepts and terms in chemometrics (IUPAC Recommendations 2016)' on page 433 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0605)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10149/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10149/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10149/xml

Citation: Citation: 'least squares regression' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.10149
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-08-06T15:36:19+00:00