Question

Make the best fit for the parabola y = a₀ + a₁x + a₂x², with the given pairs of values for x and y.

Answer 1

The best values of a₀, a₁ and a₂ are found by the Least square fit. The residue S is given by

Equations (1), (2) and (3) are the so-called normal equations which are to be solved as ordinary simultaneous equations.