In science and engineering we often end up in situations where we want to infer (or learn) a quantitative model \( M \) for a given set of sample points \( \boldsymbol{X} \in [x_1, x_2,\dots x_N] \).
As we will see repeatedely in these lectures, we could try to fit these data points to a model given by a straight line, or if we wish to be more sophisticated to a more complex function.
The reason for inferring such a model is that it serves many useful purposes. On the one hand, the model can reveal information encoded in the data or underlying mechanisms from which the data were generated. For instance, we could discover important corelations that relate interesting physics interpretations.
In addition, it can simplify the representation of the given data set and help us in making predictions about future data samples.
A first important consideration to keep in mind is that inferring the correct model for a given data set is an elusive, if not impossible, task. The fundamental difficulty is that if we are not specific about what we mean by a correct model, there could easily be many different models that fit the given data set equally well.