What is residual in linear regression model?

Answer 1

You have a set of data points (x1,y1), (x2,y2), ..., (xn,yn), and you have assumed a line model, y = mx + b + e, where e is random error.

You have fit the regression model to obtain estimates of the slope, m, and the intercept, b. Let me call them m and b.

Now you can calculate yi - mxi - b for i = 1, 2, ... n. Notice that, for each i, this is an estimate of the error in yi. It's called the residual because it's what's 'left over' in yi after removing the part 'explained' by the regression.

Another way of understanding this is to take a set of linearly related (x,y) pairs, graph them, calculate the regression line, plot it on the same graph and then measure the verticaldistances between the regression line and the each of the pairs. Those vertical distances are the residuals.