Optimal discriminant analysis

Optimal discriminant analysis, or ODA for short, is like a game where we try to guess if something is one thing or another thing. Let's say we want to play a game where we have to guess if a picture is a cat or a dog. We can look at the picture and try to figure out what makes it look more like a cat or more like a dog.

In ODA, instead of guessing if a picture is a cat or a dog, we try to guess if something belongs to one group or another group based on certain characteristics. For example, we might want to guess if a person is male or female based on their height, weight, and other physical traits.

To play this game, we need to find the best way to look at these characteristics to make the best guesses. ODA helps us do this by using some special math that helps us figure out the most important things to look at.

It's like trying to solve a puzzle. We look at all the different characteristics and see which ones are the most different between the two groups. Then we use those differences to make our guesses.

For example, let's say we want to guess if a fruit is an apple or an orange based on its color, size, and sweetness. We might find that the color is the most different between apples and oranges, so we use that as the most important thing to look at.

Using ODA, we can find the best way to guess things based on certain characteristics and make more accurate guesses.