Hotelling: principal components for a complex of statistical variables

What changed

Correlated measurements could be transformed into ordered orthogonal components for analysis.

Scientific scope

Hotelling's 1933 two-part paper; Pearson antecedent, modern SVD algorithms and all PCA applications excluded.

Evidence

The linked sources identify this contribution and its scope. WRS has not independently reconstructed the scientific claims. The record is Hotelling’s exact 1933 two-part paper. Pearson’s earlier principal-axis work, later matrix algorithms, factor analysis and downstream applications retain separate attribution.

Contributors

• Harold Hotelling · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.

• Hotelling, Analysis of a complex of statistical variables into principal components, part I
• Crossref record for Hotelling principal components

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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