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Elementary must be one of those words that does not exactly mean what you think. The first formula (regression on page 29) instantly drops some math in there w

• valm- 10y ago
  I think he means elementary in the sense of foundational.
• johnmyleswhite 10y ago
  Note that the first sentence of the linked page says that: > This is a draft textbook on data analysis methods, intended for a one-semester course for advance undergraduate students who have already taken classes in probability, mathematical statistics, and linear regression.
• resoluteteeth 10y ago
  You could probably get a phd in math using only textbooks with some variation of "introductory" in the title, so when dealing with math textbooks I recommend ignoring any words that normal people would interpret as indicating a certain level of difficulty.
• chestervonwinch 10y ago
  From the intro: > The mathematical level of these notes is deliberately low; nothing should be beyond a competent third-year undergraduate. But every subject covered here can be profitably studied using vastly more sophisticated techniques; that’s why this is advanced data analysis from an elementary point of view. "Elementary" is a relative term in my experience. The formula on 29 is the expected value of the quantity, (Y-m)^2. It is the average squared error under the distribution of Y incurred by a chosen value of m.