How to infer a shared factor from two dependent measurements?

37 Views Asked by At

If I have two series of measurements, and I use a statistical test to show they are not independent of each other, can I infer a "shared" factor to produce a third series which represents the dependent factor?

for an x and y that are not independent

z === inferred factor between x and y

$x'$ === x excluding z (perhaps subtraction)

$y'$ === y excluding z (perhaps subtraction)

$f'$ === a variant of f that operates on $x' y' z$

how to find

$z, x', y'$

$f'(x', y', z) = f(x, y)$

What additional information do I need? What would be a better problem statement? What are some different approaches to take for a solution?

Also, I would appreciate pointers in the right direction as much as complete solutions. :)