least squares
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.
Also called
least-squares method,
method of least squares.
Origin of least squares
First recorded in 1860–65
Words nearby least squares
British Dictionary definitions for least-squares method
least squares
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