Linear Combination
A linear combination of variables is a way of creating a
new variable by combining other variables. A linear
combination is one in which each variable is multiplied by a
coefficient and the products
summed. For example, if
Y = 3X1 + 2X2 +
.5X3
then Y is a linear combination of the variables
X
1, X
2, and X
3. If the
formula for the new variable contains functions such as
square roots or logarithms, then the new variable is not a
linear combination of the other variables.
See also:
linear
transformation