Ch 1. Introduction

Question 1

Which of the following are supervised learning problems? More than one box can be checked.
Which of the following are supervised learning problems? More than one box can be checked.

1. Predict whether a website user will click on an ad
2. Find clusters of genes that interact with each other
3. Classify a handwritten digit as 0-9 from labeled examples
4. Find stocks that are likely to rise

Answer 1

1. Predict whether a website user will click on an ad
2. Classify a handwritten digit as 0-9 from labeled examples
3. Find stocks that are likely to rise

Explanation:
Problems with clearly defined “predictors” and “responses” are supervised.

Question 2

True or False: The only goal of any supervised learning study is to be able

to predict the response very accurately.

Answer 2

False.

Explanation:
Most supervised learning problems can be framed formally in terms of predicting a response, but prediction alone is often not the main goal of the analysis. For example, many applications of
linear regression in the sciences are aimed primarily at understanding how the inputs of a system drive the outputs; an extremely complicated “black box” giving pure predictions would not be very useful in and of itself.