At a time when computerized laboratory automation is producing a da ta explosion, chemists are turning to applied mathematics and statistics for the tools to extract useful chemical information from data. This rush to find applicable methods has lead to a somewhat confusing body of literature that represents a barrier to chemists wishing to learn more about chemometrics. The confusion results partly from the mixing of chemical notation and nomenclature with those of statistics, applied mathematics and engineering. Additionally, in the absence of collaboration with mathematicians, chemists...