Quadratic Regression Calculator

Fit a parabola y = ax^2 + bx + c to data points.

a (x^2) 1
b (x) 0
c (constant) 1

Formula: Least squares fit of y = ax^2 + bx + c

Step-by-step with your numbers:
1. Values used:
2. x1 = 1
3. y1 = 2
4. x2 = 2
5. y2 = 5
6. x3 = 3
7. y3 = 10
8. x4 = 4
9. y4 = 17
10. x5 = 5
11. y5 = 26
12.
13. x1 x y1 = 1 x 2 = 2
14. a (x^2) = (x1 x y1) / x2 = 2 / 2 = 1
15. b (x) = 0
16. x1 x y1 = 1 x 2 = 2
17. c (constant) = (x1 x y1) / x2 = 2 / 2 = 1
Did we solve your problem today?

Quadratic regression fits the best parabola through a set of points.

The math behind it

It solves the least-squares normal equations for a, b and c in y = ax^2 + bx + c. Leave a point at (0, 0) to ignore it.

Worked example

Points on y = x^2 + 1 recover a = 1, b = 0, c = 1.

FAQ

How many points do I need?

At least three; more points improve the fit.