Thread: Lines of best fit

The question

Find the best fit to the set of points {(0, 1) (1, 1) (2, 2) (4, 3)} in within the curve

My attempt
I used the formula , and got the following equation:



I tried to use Gaussian elimination, and made a massive mess of the matrix. I was far off a correct solution. Is there a trick to getting an answer without grinding through row operations (or, at least, minimising the work)?

Cheers.

You might find it simpler to reverse to so that your vector is and reverse the order of the points. that will make equal to
which, at least, lets you start with smaller numbers. (Note the "3" in the upper left. Recheck the calculation that gave you that "4".)