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A Quick Proof that the Least Squares Formulas Give a Local Minimum

by W.M. Dunn III (Montgomery College)

This article originally appeared in:
College Mathematics Journal
January, 2005

Subject classification(s): Calculus | Several Variable Calculus | Partial Derivatives
Applicable Course(s): 3.3 Mainstream Calculus III, IV

Use the second derivative test to establish that the regression parameters give a minimum.


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Capsule Course Topic(s):
Multivariable Calculus | Directional Derivatives and Gradients
Multivariable Calculus | Optimization
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