Apply principal components analysis to transform data.

Free SOA Exam PA (Predictive Analytics) lesson in Data Transformations and Unsupervised Learning Techniques. 12 min read, ~1,785 words.

PCA replaces correlated predictors with uncorrelated principal components ordered by variance explained. PC1 captures the most variance; each later PC captures the most of what remains, all mutually orthogonal. Standardize first (mean 0, variance 1) whenever variables use different units, or high-scale variables dominate. Loadings are the weights defining each...

Read the full lesson, free →
Worked examples, audio narration, and practice. Free with a free account, no card.

What this lesson covers

Learning objectives

Browse all free Exam PA lessons or jump into free Exam PA practice questions.