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Re: FindFit bug

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg116083] Re: FindFit bug
  • From: Bill Rowe <readnews at sbcglobal.net>
  • Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 06:54:02 -0500 (EST)

On 1/31/11 at 3:23 AM, igor.volkov at gmail.com (Igor) wrote:

>Hello, It seems that FindFit cannot fit a sine function. It produces
>no warnings and gives a totally wrong answer:

>dat = Table[{t, 3 Sin[3 t + 1]}, {t, -3, 3, 0.1}];

>fit = FindFit[dat, a Sin[w t + f], {a, w, f}, t]

>Show[ListPlot[dat], Plot[a Sin[w t + f] /. fit, {t, -3, 3}]]

>Output: {a -> 0.599211, w -> 1.51494, f -> 3.80421}

>At the same time it fits Sin[3t+1] just fine.

Doing non-linear fitting is inherently difficult. FindFit can
achieve the desired result when the initial starting point is
sufficiently close to the optimum solution. That is

In[10]:= FindFit[dat, a Sin[w t + f], {{a, 2}, {w, 2}, {f, 2}}, t]

Out[10]= {a->3.,w->3.,f->1.}

works. Alternatively, you can have FindFit use NMinimize which
uses other fitting algorithms that work better in some cases.
That is:

In[11]:= FindFit[dat, a Sin[w t + f], {a, w, f}, t,
  Method -> "NMinimize"]

Out[11]= {a->-3.,w->-3.,f->-1.}

Note, when you fit to Sin[[3 t+1] you change the problem from a
non-linear problem to a linear problem which has explicit
solutions and should never cause FindFit to have problems.



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