.. LabFit documentation master file.

   Homepage: https://matthewd0yle.com/labfit/
   Contact: matt@matthewd0yle.com
   License: MIT

Welcome to LabFit
=================

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     <code style="background:#2c3e50; color:#fff; padding:6px 16px; border-radius:6px; font-size:1.1em; white-space:nowrap;">pip install labfit</code>
     <span style="color:#7f8c8d; font-size:0.9em;">Python ≥ 3.10</span>
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   :alt: LabFit | least-squares curve fitting for Python
   :width: 100%
   :align: center

`LabFit` is a small, student-friendly Python library for least-squares curve fitting,
error propagation, and plotting.

It ships with built-in textbook models, convenience wrappers for quick analysis,
and a plotting layer that can show residuals and multi-series comparisons.

Core goals:

- **Reproducible workflows** from CSV to fitted curve in minutes.
- **Reduced χ² (chi-square) analysis** returned for every fit so you can immediately assess goodness-of-fit.
- **Multiple series support** - plot and fit many lines on one figure with a shared or individual axis.
- **Treat correlated and asymmetric errors correctly** without rewriting propagation code each time.
- **Complete reference docs** for fitting helpers, built-in model functions, plotting, and utilities.

.. toctree::
   :hidden:

   quickstart
   concepts
   least-squares
   fitting-functions
   api
   utilities
   gallery
   faq

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- **5-minute quickstart** - Get a working fit in 5 minutes: CSV, errors, fit, plot, χ².  :ref:`quickstart`

- **Concepts** - Diagnostics, reduced χ², and error propagation. :ref:`concepts`

- **How least-squares works** - What residuals, χ² surfaces, and optimisers actually do. :ref:`least-squares`

- **Fitting functions** - All fitting entry points and built-in fitting models. :ref:`fitting-functions`

- **API Reference** - :ref:`api`

- **Utilities** - CSV/TXT loading and uncertainty helpers. :ref:`utilities`

- **Example gallery** - Simple examples. :ref:`gallery`

- **FAQ** - Common pitfalls: correlated errors, bad initial guesses, weighting, and more. :ref:`faq`

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