Selitysvoiman

Selitysvoiman is a Finnish term that translates to "explanatory power" or "power of explanation." It is a concept often used in scientific, statistical, and philosophical contexts to describe how well a particular theory, model, or variable can account for or predict observed phenomena.

In statistics, explanatory power is frequently discussed in relation to regression analysis. A variable or a set of variables is said to have high explanatory power if it can explain a significant portion of the variation in a dependent variable. Measures like R-squared are commonly used to quantify this explanatory power in statistical models. A higher R-squared value indicates that the independent variables in the model explain a larger percentage of the variance in the dependent variable.

Beyond statistics, the concept applies more broadly to scientific theories. A theory with strong explanatory power can make sense of a wide range of observations, connect seemingly disparate facts, and offer coherent reasons for why things happen. It suggests a robust understanding of the underlying mechanisms or principles at play. Conversely, a theory with low explanatory power may struggle to account for empirical evidence, requiring frequent ad-hoc modifications or failing to provide satisfactory answers to fundamental questions. The term emphasizes the effectiveness of a given explanation in making something understandable.