An interactive display for approximation by linear programming

Abstract
An interactive program with a graphical display has been developed for the approximation of data by means of a linear combination of functions (including splines) selected by the user. The coffiecients of the approximation are determined by linear programming so as to minimize the error in either the L 1 or L norm. Auxiliary conditions such as monotonicity or convexity of the approximation can also be imposed. This interactive system is described and several examples of its use are given.