๐ŸŽฒintro to statistics review

Sum of Squared Errors (SSE)

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Definition

Sum of Squared Errors (SSE) measures the total deviation of observed values from the values predicted by a regression model. It is calculated by summing the squared differences between observed and predicted values.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. SSE is used to assess the fit of a regression model; lower SSE indicates a better fit.
  2. The formula for SSE is $$ \sum_{i=1}^{n} (y_i - \hat{y}_i)^2 $$, where $y_i$ are the observed values and $\hat{y}_i$ are the predicted values.
  3. SSE is always non-negative because it sums squared terms.
  4. It plays a crucial role in calculating other key statistics, such as Mean Squared Error (MSE) and R-squared.
  5. SSE can be compared across different models to determine which one better fits the data.

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