Question

the method of least squares minimizes the sum of the squared deviations between the actual dependent values and the estimated values of the select. the dropdown options are: moving averages, dependent variable, smoothing constants, independent variable.

Explanation:

The method of least squares is used in regression analysis. It aims to find the best - fit line (or curve) by minimizing the sum of the squared differences between the actual values of the dependent variable and the values estimated by the regression model. Moving averages are used in time - series smoothing, smoothing constants are part of exponential smoothing, and the independent variable is used to predict the dependent variable, not what is being estimated against the actual values here. So the correct option is the dependent variable.

Answer:

dependent variable