Influential observation 2026-10-07
An influential observation substantially changes a fitted model or its predictions when removed or perturbed. In a linear regression, influence depends jointly on residual size and regression leverage. Large predictor leverage with a small residual and a large residual at ordinary leverage can have different consequences. Regression diagnostics examine this sensitivity; influence is not synonymous with an invalid observation.
The ordinary least squares fit estimates the conditional mean of the continuous safety response as a linear function of the income coding:The regression coefficient for income is positive. Since larger response values mean greater safety, one additional coded income unit corresponds to an estimated increase of safety-scale units in the fitted mean. Following the question's stated units, a unit is a £10,000 income step. The observed coding also uses income bands with open end categories, so this is a linear trend per coded band step; it is not evidence of a known constant effect for every extra pound, especially within the open top band. The output's abbreviated variable label does not override the stated units.
The intercept is the fitted mean at income code zero. It is estimated as , but zero is outside the observed income codes, so that value is an extrapolated model baseline, not an observed estimate for a particular income category. Its small p-value tests a zero intercept; it is not the main test of the income association.
For the income coefficient, the standard error is . The reported test statistic and two-sided test giveproviding strong evidence against the null hypothesis of zero linear slope under the stated model assumptions. A Student t confidence interval, using residual statistical degrees of freedom, isThis is an interval for the population linear coefficient under the model, not an interval containing of individual safety scores. The large-sample estimate is precise enough to detect a positive association, but that does not establish substantial individual predictive power.
The coefficient of determination is : the fitted line accounts for about of the in-sample variation about the response sample mean. The adjusted coefficient of determination is about . Thus income alone explains very little of the observed variation, despite the small slope p-value. The residual standard error of response units describes substantial scatter about the fitted line. This is an estimated residual standard deviation, rather than the standard error of the slope or a complete individual prediction interval.
The overall F-test has on statistical degrees of freedom and . With one predictor and an intercept, it tests the same zero-slope hypothesis as the coefficient Student's t-test; , up to rounding. It is not an additional independent confirmation. In this simple linear regression, the Pearson correlation coefficient has the slope's sign and magnitude , another description of the weak linear association.
The regression uses complete observations and estimates two coefficients, giving residual statistical degrees of freedom. The deletion of observations is complete-case analysis; extending its conclusions to the full target population requires suitable assumptions about the missing-data mechanism. Classical reported standard errors also rely on an adequate linear conditional mean, independent errors and homoscedasticity; a normal linear model gives the finite-sample Student t-distribution and F-test calibration, while large-sample approximations can justify similar tests under weaker distributional assumptions. The printed summary alone does not establish these assumptions. Regression diagnostics and, where appropriate, heteroskedasticity-consistent standard errors address different parts of that assessment.
Finally, this unadjusted observational study estimates an association. Other covariates, such as age or experience status, may be related to both income and reported safety. Without additional design or causal identification assumptions, the positive fitted slope does not establish that increasing income would cause an increase in safety.
TODO: whether additional analyses are needed depends on the unavailable results and prespecified questions. An estimated congruence-by-delay interaction can be clarified by the cue-congruence contrast at each delay, with confidence intervals and justified multiple testing control. A direct interaction test addresses whether those contrasts differ; comparing their separate significance labels does not.
Even without a significant interaction, an adequately powered, prespecified contrast may address a distinct scientific question; indiscriminate testing until something is significant is not justified. Inspect regression diagnostics and the treatment of dependent trials where appropriate. Without the output, one cannot decide that any particular follow-up is required or conclude that none is necessary.
Improve the sampling, measurement and dependence model before interpreting the association. Define the target population and recruit a broader sample with a transparent sampling frame, ideally using probability sampling where feasible and adequate representation across the relevant ages and roles. Justify the sample size for the intended effect size and precision. Preselection on reputation or the outcomes should be avoided or explicitly modeled.
Operationalize workplace friendliness with several relevant measures, such as independently obtained colleague reports and standardized behavioral tasks, rather than relying only on photographs. Use standardized photographs if impressions are themselves the research target, several independent raters, and blinding to power and the specific hypothesis. Measure inter-rater reliability and retain the distinction between impression and behavior. Establish what the power measure actually assesses and record plausible confounders with a causal rationale.
For a linear regression analysis, use friendliness as an explicitly declared outcome and power as a continuous predictor. Retain actual age as a continuous covariate when available instead of treating three age groups as equally spaced measurements; consider justified nonlinearity. If only age categories are available, use explicit categorical contrasts and nonoverlapping category definitions. Check regression diagnostics, influential observations, heteroscedasticity and multicollinearity. Account for executive and rater dependence with an appropriate mixed-effects model when repeated or crossed ratings are analyzed; do not count each rating as a new executive. Report estimates with confidence intervals and disclose exclusions and missing observations.
Preregistration can distinguish planned analyses from exploratory ones. A longitudinal study with repeated measures can establish temporal ordering more clearly, though it remains vulnerable to confounding. A feasible, ethical randomized experiment manipulating assigned power or role in a controlled task could test a more narrowly defined causal effect; its external validity to senior executives must still be assessed. No observational adjustment alone guarantees removal of all unmeasured alternatives.
TODO: an empirical Results section requires the missing output and cannot be supplied honestly here. A completed report would name the actual analysis, define the predictor reference levels and outcome units, summarize the relevant cells with sample counts and uncertainty, give overall model-fit information and the actual or other appropriate fit measure, and report each fitted coefficient with its standard error or confidence interval, test statistic and p-value. If an interaction was fitted, interpret conditional differences rather than treating reference-level coefficients as unconditional effects. State relevant regression diagnostics, departures from the planned analysis and any controlled follow-up comparisons. No observed coefficient, significance result or predicted value is inferred from the verbal scenario.
The regression diagnostics raise concerns about the mean and variance assumptions. The residual-versus-fitted smoother is curved rather than horizontal, and the scale-location plot suggests changing residual spread, contrary to homoscedasticity. Diagonal bands are expected when an integer-valued response is fitted by a continuous model, since each fixed response value gives . They are not, by themselves, proof of a failed mean model. The residual Q-Q plot is broadly linear but has tail departures and unusual observations, so exact normality is questionable.
The Cook's distance plot identifies observations worth checking for recording errors and influence on the age estimate. A rough screening threshold flags several points, but it is not an automatic deletion rule. Repeat the fit with and without influential observations as a sensitivity analysis and report material changes.
The bird random intercept Q-Q plot has a pronounced upper-tail departure; the year plot is closer to a line, although eleven groups give little power to assess normality. These plotted effects are estimated, shrunken conditional mode of Gaussian random effects, not independent observed draws from the latent normal distribution, so their appearance requires care.
The analysis is therefore provisional. Check a nonlinear age effect, the changing residual variance, dependence beyond the fitted random intercepts, and a response model appropriate for counts. If clutch size is known, a binomial distribution model for hatched eggs out of available eggs may be more meaningful. A bootstrap from the existing Gaussian model cannot validate the assumptions questioned by these plots. Distinguishing within-bird ageing from between-bird differences would also strengthen interpretation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 28 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The missing output is needed to identify the actual regression formula, response column, transformations and coefficient estimates. A useful possible analysis regresses the maintained-school percentage among acceptances on the corresponding percentage among applications, allowing for year; it must be described as a model of college-level composition, not a direct estimate of individual acceptance probabilities.
For instance, if and are these two percentages, a normal linear model might specify , with a slope-by-year interaction term if needed. The intercept is the expected response at zero predictor, often an extrapolation; the slope is a percentage-point change in acceptance composition per percentage-point change in application composition. A slope of one is not by itself evidence of equal acceptance chances: equal chances within every college would give the entire relation , including zero intercept and no year shift. A fit with positive slope mainly confirms that applicant composition helps predict acceptance composition.
Regression diagnostics should include residuals versus fitted values and predictors, a residual normal Q-Q plot, checks of heteroscedasticity, regression leverage, studentized residuals and Cook's distance. The aggregate mature-college category merits an influence check and a sensitivity analysis: combining several colleges can conceal different within-college patterns. Repeated observations from the same college across years may have correlated errors, so treating them as independent needs justification. Check nonlinearity, the year interaction and the effects of excluding no observation except with a substantive reason.
Percentages are bounded, and their precision depends on their denominators. A simple weighted least squares or binomial analysis requires the underlying numbers accepted, not merely percentages. For a proportion based on people, the working variance is under independent sampling, rather than constant across colleges. If the predictor percentage is itself estimated, an ordinary regression also ignores its uncertainty. The supplied summaries cannot recover all four cells of each college contingency table or the actual fitted numerical output.
The published Cambridge percentage table nevertheless allows a descriptive comparison of acceptance rates. Write for the maintained-school proportion among applicants and for its proportion among acceptances. The relative risk from group compositions givesThe overall acceptance probability cancels by Bayes' theorem. This risk ratio compares acceptance probabilities; it is not the acceptance odds ratio, which also needs the overall acceptance probability.
For Christ's, the two published application/acceptance pairs give risk ratios and . If the displayed percentages were rounded to the nearest whole percentage point, the relative risk bounds from rounded group compositions give ranges approximately and . Thus both comparisons remain below one under that rounding assumption. These are descriptive comparisons of observed groups, without adjustment for applicant qualifications or a causal effect interpretation. The published compositions determine approximate relative acceptance rates, but not their standard errors or the original regression results.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 37 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The commands read the 52 cell values into a vector and build the matching two-factor layout. In
expand.grid(country, goods) the first factor varies fastest, so the four countries are listed successively within each goods category. This matches row-by-row reading of the displayed table. Converting Goods to a factor is essential: its labels identify 13 categories and are not a quantitative trend. Country supplies the other categorical factor. The summaries suppress coefficient correlations, not coefficient standard errors.The first fit is the additive two-factor normal linear modelThere are free coefficients and residual statistical degrees of freedom. This is two-way analysis of variance without an interaction term. For this complete balanced layout, ordinary least squares givesThese formulas follow from the row- and column-sum normal equations: fitted row and column totals equal their observed totals. The balanced-design coefficient standard errors are for a goods contrast, for a country contrast, and for the reference-cell intercept. These yield the common contrast standard errors and the different intercept standard error in each summary. In particular the intercept is the fitted Software–UK value, not the grand mean or the observed Software–UK entry.
Thus the first intercept predicts million euros for Software in the UK. The Books coefficient adds million euros to the fitted value in any country, relative to Software; every other goods coefficient has this same arithmetic-difference interpretation. The country coefficients subtract , and million euros from the UK prediction for France, Germany and the rest of Europe respectively, regardless of goods. The model therefore assumes common absolute country differences across goods categories. For Software–France its prediction iswhich is impossible for positive spending and indicates a limitation of this additive original-scale specification.
The residual standard error is million euros, obtained from ; direct calculation gives . Each coefficient's printed statistic is , with a reference distribution under this normal linear model. The two-sided p-values compare each goods category with Software, or each other country with the UK, after adjustment for the other factor. For example France and the rest of Europe differ significantly from the UK at 5%, but Germany does not. The raw-scale significant goods differences are Books, Clothing, Electronic Goods, Groceries and Leisure Travel; these are individual reference-level comparisons, not an overall test of the goods factor.
The coefficient of determination is . The omnibus F-test compares all 15 nonintercept coefficients with zero:with reference and . This says at least one factor contrast is nonzero under the assumed error model. There is one observation per cell, so an unrestricted goods-country interaction would saturate the model, leaving zero residual degrees of freedom. Without replication or a specified interaction structure, the residual variation cannot be separated into interaction and independent error.
The second fit applies a logarithmic transformation and fits the same factor design to . The Gaussian log-response model isIts intercept exponentiates to a fitted Software–UK conditional median of million euros. Goods coefficients now give multiplicative ratios to Software, and country coefficients give multiplicative ratios to the UK. The estimated country ratios areFor example the Books ratio is and the Sports Equipment ratio is , consistently across countries. The model assumes common relative, rather than common absolute, country effects. It also guarantees positive retransformed fitted values. Under normal log errors, the original-scale conditional mean is , whereas is the conditional median and geometric mean. Correcting the retransformation bias here multiplies the naive predictions by approximately .
The log-scale residual standard error is , with the same 36 residual degrees of freedom, corresponding to a typical multiplicative error multiplier . France and the rest remain significant reference-country contrasts; Germany remains nonsignificant at 5%. The log-scale significant reference-goods contrasts are Books, Music, Videos/DVDs, Clothing, Sports Equipment, Electronic Goods, Groceries and Leisure Travel. Event Tickets, Toys, Video Games and Housewares do not individually differ significantly from Software at that level. These p-values remain subject to the usual multiple testing qualification.
The log-scale is computed using variation in the logarithms, so it cannot by itself establish better fit on the original response scale. The change is plausible because spending varies widely in magnitude and relative discrepancies are more meaningful than constant absolute discrepancies, but it should be assessed with regression diagnostics, especially a residual-versus-fitted plot and a normal Q-Q plot. The minimum residual near merits inspection; the command summaries alone do not verify independent normal errors. Moreover these responses are forecasts, so the inferential p-values have a literal sampling interpretation only if an appropriate stochastic model for their uncertainty is justified.
The log-scale analysis of variance adds Goods and then Country. In this balanced design their effect spaces are orthogonal after removing the intercept, so the sequential sums of squares equal the corresponding adjusted factor sums and are unchanged by reversing the two factors:The residual sum of squares is , giving . ThusTheir tiny upper-tail p-values show strong overall goods and country effects under the log-error model; a globally significant country factor is compatible with the nonsignificant individual Germany contrast. The omnibus fit statistic is on degrees of freedom, whose p-value is approximately . The printed zero reflects numerical formatting, not an exactly zero probability.
If two cell entries were missing, retain their correct factor labels and mark those responses unavailable, rather than shifting the remaining scan values into different cells. Fit the additive models to the 50 observed cells, assuming the missingness mechanism permits those observations to be analyzed without selection bias. All factor levels remain represented, and the row-column incidence graph remains connected: any two goods rows still share an observed country, since only two edges of the complete layout have been removed, and every country still has many observed goods. By identifiability of an incomplete two-factor additive design, the design therefore still has rank . HenceThe coefficients and their covariance must be recomputed by the observed-cell ordinary least squares equations. The balanced row-mean-plus-column-mean formulas and common within-factor standard errors no longer apply. Goods and Country effects are generally no longer orthogonal, so sequential ANOVA sums can depend on order; factor tests adjusted for the other factor should use nested model comparisons. Missing cells do not restore replication or make an unrestricted interaction test possible: that larger model still fits every observed cell exactly. If missingness depends on the unavailable spending values, additional modelling of that mechanism would be needed.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 41 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
scan reads the numerical prices, including the three missing-value markers, into a vector. The data must be read row by row for the subsequent factor construction to match them. The sample size available for analysis is therefore , rather than . The numerical summary describes the observed prices: the sample median is £43.54 and the sample mean is £46.94. The upper tail, particularly the boots, raises the sample mean above the sample median. These summaries mix very different products and are not adjusted country comparisons.The two character scans create labels.
gl(8,5,length=40,labels=item) makes a regression factor with each of eight item labels repeated five times. gl(5,1,length=40,labels=country) cycles through the five country labels once for each item. For a regression factor and numerical response, the two plot commands produce grouped box plots. The country box plots suggest lower US prices, while the item box plots show particularly expensive boots and inexpensive cardigans. They are descriptive displays of this small basket, with different item compositions where prices are missing; they cannot separate country effects from item effects.The first
lm fits an additive two-way analysis of variance:The constraints are R's usual treatment coding. The normal linear model used for the printed tests assumes independent errors with common variance and approximately a normal distribution, and no item-by-country interaction in the mean. Missing prices are omitted, leaving responses and independent mean coefficients. Thus the residual degrees of freedom are . This deletion is defensible for the conditional price model when missingness does not depend on the unobserved error after conditioning on the two factors; the output itself does not establish such a missing-data mechanism.The
anova tables report sequential sums of squares, rather than order-independent adjusted effects. If are the residual sums of squares from the intercept-only, country-only, item-only and additive fits, the first order allocates to country and to item. The second order allocates to item and to country. Both allocations sum to the same total explained sum of squares, and both end with the same residual sum of squares . The three missing combinations destroy balanced factorial orthogonality, so the allocation changes with order. To test country after allowing for items, use the country row in the second table; to test item after allowing for countries, use the item row in the first table. The first-entered rows do not supply those adjusted tests.Each mean square in ANOVA divides its sum of squares in ANOVA by its statistical degrees of freedom, and each printed F-statistic divides that mean square in ANOVA by . In particular, the adjusted country partial F-test haswith an reference F-distribution and p-value approximately . The adjusted item partial F-test gives on statistical degrees of freedom. Both factors contribute strongly under the additive normal linear model. The larger item sum of squares in ANOVA measures the much greater differences between these products, but is not evidence that every pair of items differs significantly.
The intercept is the fitted UK price for the reference jeans, not their observed price and not the overall sample mean. Each country regression coefficient is its adjusted price difference from the UK, assumed common across items: Sweden is £5.224 lower, France £10.708 lower, Germany £7.676 lower and the US £21.328 lower. Each item regression coefficient is its adjusted difference from the reference jeans, assumed common across countries. Thus the fitted UK boots price is , and the fitted US boots price is .
The coefficient standard errors come from , where and is the design matrix. Dividing each estimate by its standard error gives the displayed Student t-test statistic, with statistical degrees of freedom. The stars summarize the corresponding two-sided p-values. The individual tests compare each indicated country or item with its reference level, conditional on all other additive terms; they are neither tests of every pairwise comparison nor a simultaneous confidence interval procedure. In particular, Sweden's p-value provides weaker evidence than the other country contrasts, and does not establish equality with the UK. The intercept test has little substantive relevance, and interpreting many individual stars also raises multiple hypothesis testing issues.
The residual standard error measures unexplained prices in pounds. With total corrected sum of squares , the coefficient of determination and adjusted coefficient of determination areMuch of this impressive fit is due to the large differences between items. The overall F-test compares the additive fit with a constant mean: on statistical degrees of freedom. It tests that all eleven non-intercept coefficients vanish, not that the additive model is adequate. Regression diagnostics should examine regression residuals, changing price variability across items and possible interaction. Percentage differences may be more plausible than common pound differences, motivating a natural logarithm of price. No random sample of countries or products, and no independent replication of a price within a cell, is supplied; broad claims about all designer goods or the causes of country differences require more than these conditional tests.
Finally,
Item*Country expands to both main effects and their full interaction. A cell-means parameterization has one separate fitted mean for every observed cell. With one response per cell its design matrix has row matrix rank , while the full layout nominally has coefficients. Three coefficient combinations are aliased because their cells are missing. This is saturation of an unreplicated two-factor regression: every observed price is fitted exactly and the residual degrees of freedom are zero. The final fit has zero residuals, and no residual-based estimate of the error variance or ordinary interaction significance test. The printed numerical summary will mark three coefficients unestimable; coefficient standard errors, tests and adjusted involve undefined division by zero, potentially appearing as NaN or Inf according to numerical roundoff. Perfect interpolation here is a consequence of a saturated statistical model, not evidence for a superior predictive model. Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 41 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The Poisson deviance compares the fitted Poisson regression with a saturated statistical model:using . If the usual deviance goodness-of-fit test approximation is adequate, compare with a chi-squared distribution on statistical degrees of freedom. Its upper-tail p-value is about , and . There is no detected lack of fit or evidence of substantial overdispersion from this deviance. This neither proves the Poisson regression correct nor establishes that the slope is nonzero. Small expected counts, dependence or inadequate covariate specification can undermine the reference approximation, so deviance residuals and other regression diagnostics still matter.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 4 19H ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Set . The maximum likelihood estimation formulas for simple linear regression giveUsing the supplied rounded summaries gives metres and metres. Recomputing directly from the printed table gives approximately and metres, respectively, so the small summary rounding differences do not affect the conclusion.
I would not accept the model merely because the Student t-test fails to reject a zero regression intercept. That hypothesis test tests one parameter restriction within the assumed model, not the adequacy of its error assumptions or its functional form. In particular, complementary elevations and have exactly the same and hence the same fitted mean, but their observed low-angle minus high-angle ranges arefor the four corresponding pairs. All four are positive, suggesting an elevation-dependent effect omitted by the mean model, such as air resistance, rather than random scatter determined only by . This is a regression diagnostics concern, not a claim that these finite data logically rule out the normal-error model. The correct conclusion is nonrejection of the intercept restriction does not validate the regression model; further checks of the residual pattern and error assumptions are needed.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ii Paper 1 13J Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Use a normal linear modelThe distance and climb are treated as fixed predictors; the assumptions are a linear conditional mean, independent errors with common variance, and normal errors for the exact tests. Fit by ordinary least squares using
hills.lm1 <- lm(time ~ dist + climb, data = hills)The overall null hypothesis is , against at least one nonzero slope. The intercept-only and full models have respectively 34 and 32 residual degrees of freedom. Under the null, the F-test statistic isThe displayed residual sums are rounded; use the reported statistic for the test. Its upper-tail p-value is below , so reject the no-relationship hypothesis overwhelmingly. At least one predictor adds information beyond a constant mean.
In the coefficient table, Estimate gives one of the ordinary least squares estimators, Std. Error is the estimated standard deviation of that estimator, t value is the estimate divided by its standard error, and the last column is the two-sided p-value for a zero coefficient. Under the corresponding null, the statistic has a Student's t-distribution with 32 degrees of freedom. The fitted mean isAt fixed climb, an extra mile predicts about 6.22 extra minutes; at fixed distance, an extra foot of climb predicts about 0.01105 extra minutes. Both slopes have strong evidence of being positive. Specifically the climb test uses and , so climb remains significant after controlling for distance. The intercept differs from zero at the 5% level, but extrapolating to a zero-distance, zero-climb race has no useful physical interpretation.
The regression diagnostics show a very large positive residual for Knock Hill and a smaller positive outlier for Bens of Jura. The Q-Q plot has a pronounced upper tail, contradicting the assumed normal-error pattern. These observations can distort both the fitted coefficients and the estimated error variance. Check the source records, units, transcription and any unusual race conditions first, especially for Knock Hill; correct a demonstrated data error and refit. If the records are valid, consider omitted terrain effects, nonlinear distance/climb effects, a suitable response transformation or robust regression, and compare fits with and without influential observations. A diagnostic outlier alone is not a reason to silently delete a valid record.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 37 1 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The additive model gives useful evidence for both predictors. To test for no adjusted sex effect, use against . The statistic has a Student t-distribution with 97 statistical degrees of freedom under the normal linear model and the null hypothesis. Here and . Similarly, against a nonzero common slope gives under the null hypothesis, with . Thus, at a fixed height males have a higher fitted mean weight, and within sex greater height is associated with greater weight.
The interaction model adds . Its female height slope is and its male height slope is . Test against using under the null hypothesis, or equivalently . The -value is 0.73139. The additive model is a reasonable parsimonious choice; the data give no evidence for different height slopes between sexes. This does not establish exact equality of population slopes. The additive model also has the higher adjusted coefficient of determination, 0.405 versus 0.3996, and a slightly smaller residual standard error.
Ignoring sex gives a height slope of 0.8769, appreciably above the adjusted slope 0.6211. This is omitted-variable bias in the descriptive regression: a taller group with a larger intercept makes the pooled height association steeper. Algebraically, with ,The printed estimates imply a positive height-sex covariance. Pooled and adjusted slopes therefore describe different comparisons; the difference is not evidence that adding sex changed a physical effect of height. For predictions, retain both sex and height, check regression diagnostics, and assess performance on new students. The residual standard error near 5.7 remains substantial and the coefficient of determination near 0.42 does not promise precise individual prediction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 33 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For the normal linear model, the log-likelihood isThe full column rank of the design matrix makes invertible. Differentiating in gives the normal equations . With the minimized residual sum of squares substituted, differentiation in givesThese are the maximum-likelihood estimators almost surely; almost surely when and . The linear transformation of the multivariate normal distribution yieldsDefine the hat matrix . The fitted values are , the regression residuals are , and . The orthogonal projection has rank and annihilates . By Cochran's theorem,Consequently , with bias . The unbiased estimator isIts square root, the reported residual standard error, estimates ; the assertion of unbiasedness applies to the variance, not generally to its square root.
For the paper-strength analysis, let be the measured percentage and . Both normal linear models use independent errors of common variance . Their mean functions are for
lm1, and for lm2, with separately fitted coefficients. The reported residual standard errors are and , respectively.For
lm1, the estimated conditional expectation at a new percentage isThe original data mean must be used for centering the new percentage; its numerical value is not supplied in the excerpt. Because , the two columns of this design matrix are orthogonal, and . Hence the coefficient standard errors in the output giveThis estimates uncertainty in the mean. Predicting an individual future batch would additionally require the new-error variance, estimated by .To compare the nested normal linear models, test against within the quadratic model. The Student t-test statistic isIts two-sided p-value is . Equivalently is a partial F-test statistic with null distribution . Reject the linear restriction and prefer
lm2 at the 5% level. Its residual spread is much smaller; the increase in the coefficient of determination from to supports the same conclusion, although the test is the relevant complexity-adjusted comparison.For regression diagnostics, inspect regression residuals against fitted means and hardwood percentage for omitted curvature, a scale-location plot for nonconstant variance, and a quantile-quantile plot against the normal distribution for departures from the error assumption. Check unusual observations using regression leverage and Cook's distance, and examine residuals in collection or batch order if dependence is plausible. Independence and a common variance require substantive justification as well as these plots; a small p-value for a polynomial term does not itself check the error model.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 33 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be speed and the tool type. Each fit is a normal linear model with independent errors. The three mean specifications areThe constraints are treatment coding with type 1 as reference. The parameter counts are , respectively. Model 2 gives parallel lines; model 3 allows interaction terms and distinct slopes.
In the analysis of variance interaction row, adding three independent slope differences costs three degrees of freedom. Its extra sum of squares is the reduction in residual sum of squares, . Its mean square is , and its F-test statistic isThus the four missing entries are , , , and , to the precision allowed by the rounded output. This tests against the alternative that at least one slope difference is nonzero. Under and the normal linear model assumptions, the statistic has distribution . Its p-value gives no reason to reject at 5%.
The simpler common-line model is inadequate compared with the parallel-line model. Testing against at least one nonzero type effect, while retaining speed, gives the partial F-testIts p-value is far below , so reject the common-line restriction. This reduction differs from the sequential type sum of squares in the displayed table, because that table adds type before speed. Recommend model 2: different intercepts and a common decreasing slope.
The selected coefficient estimates giveThe intercept estimates the expected lifetime of type 1 at speed zero; if zero speed is outside the data range, it is only an extrapolated intercept. Its standard error is , and its Student t-test ratio is , with two-sided p-value . At any fixed speed, type 2 differs from type 1 by hours, with standard error , and p-value , giving little evidence of a difference. Types 3 and 4 exceed type 1 by and hours, with standard errors and ; their test ratios and and p-values and support positive differences. Each of these individual coefficient tests has null value zero, alternative nonzero, and null distribution .
The speed coefficient means a reduction of hours per extra revolution per minute, or hours per additional 100 rpm, for every type. Its standard error is ; the ratio has null distribution when the common slope is zero, and two-sided p-value .
The residual standard error estimates the common noise standard deviation in hours using 15 residual degrees of freedom, since . The coefficient of determination means that about of the corrected lifetime variation is explained by this fit. The overall F-test statistic tests the simultaneous restriction against at least one nonzero coefficient; its null distribution is and its p-value rejects an intercept-only mean. These conclusions remain conditional on suitable regression diagnostics for independent, homoscedastic, approximately normal errors.
The required sketch plots the four fitted lines. Its speed interval is illustrative because the observed speeds are not supplied; the ordering and vertical gaps are determined by the fitted coefficients.
