This paper introduces the method of log-linear analysis for performing hypothesis testing on contingency tables. The reader will see a brief development of this topic beginning with Pearson's classic chi-square test and examples of analyses on two and three dimensional tables. The idea of hierarchical models and backward elimination are discussed. Finally, the APL2 implementation of the Newton-Raphson algorithm is described. Newton-Raphson is an iterative procedure for finding the roots of a function. It is used in log-linear analysis to find the maximum-likelihood estimation of expected frequencies that cannot be calculated from expressions in closed form.
/lp/association-for-computing-machinery/an-introduction-to-log-linear-analysis-and-implementing-the-newton-C7kZbjAl27