# What is Linear Regression? Definition & Technical Mechanics

> **Source:** [SPIDITS AI AI Glossary](https://spidits.com/ai-glossary)  
> **Category:** Foundational AI  
> **Canonical Citation:** [https://spidits.com/ai-glossary/linear-regression](https://spidits.com/ai-glossary/linear-regression)

## Definition
Linear Regression is a foundational statistical method and supervised learning algorithm used to model the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables by fitting a linear equation to observed data.

## Architectural Mechanics & Deep Dive
Linear regression is a foundational supervised learning algorithm used to model the relationship between a dependent target variable and one or more independent predictor features. It assumes a linear relationship, fitting a straight line (or hyperplane in multiple dimensions) that minimizes the sum of squared differences between predicted values and actual data points.

## Industry Applications & Real-World Use Cases
Value prediction, trend forecasting, and baseline machine learning benchmarks

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the equation for simple linear regression?
y = mx + b where y is the target, x is the feature, m is the slope (weight), and b is the intercept (bias).

### What is Ordinary Least Squares (OLS)?
OLS is a method for estimating the parameters in linear regression by minimizing the sum of squared residuals (errors) between predicted and actual values.

## Related Terminology
- [supervised-learning](https://spidits.com/ai-glossary/supervised-learning)
- [machine-learning](https://spidits.com/ai-glossary/machine-learning)

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*From the SPIDITS AI Knowledge Base (300+ terms indexed). Explore full technical definitions: [https://spidits.com/ai-glossary](https://spidits.com/ai-glossary)*