ERIC Number: EJ1199598
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Dec
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
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Available Date: N/A
An Open-Source, Cross-Platform Resource for Nonlinear Least-Squares Curve Fitting
Journal of Chemical Education, v95 n12 p2273-2278 Dec 2018
The quantitative evaluation of experimental data and their graphical presentation are integral to teaching and research in chemistry and the life sciences. Data are commonly fitted to physical models, which in all but the simplest cases are expressed as nonlinear mathematical functions. To facilitate data evaluation in both teaching and research contexts, the Fit-o-mat program, implemented in Python, offers versatile nonlinear least-squares curve fitting through a graphical user interface. Fit-o-mat supports near-arbitrary fitting functions, including numerical and discontinuous ones, produces vectorized graphics, runs on different operating systems, and is free of charge, thus promoting the adoption of the program by students and instructors in the classroom and beyond. An embedded tutorial mode facilitates integration of Fit-o-mat into teaching curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Descriptors: Least Squares Statistics, Data, Chemistry, Science Instruction, Biological Sciences, Open Source Technology, Computer Graphics, Computer Interfaces, Undergraduate Study, Graduate Study, Programming Languages
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A