What is the difference between polynomial and linear regression?

What is the difference between polynomial and linear regression?

Linear regression models the relationship between two variables as a straight line, while polynomial regression can model curves.

When should I use polynomial regression instead of linear regression?

Use polynomial regression when the data shows a non-linear relationship, as it can fit curves better than linear regression.

Can you give me an example of when polynomial regression is more effective?

Sure! In cases like predicting housing prices based on size, a polynomial model can capture the curvature in the data better.

What are the risks of using polynomial regression?

The main risk is overfitting, where the model becomes too complex and captures noise instead of the underlying trend.