The Function Plotting and Data Fitting Model allows you to create customizable plots to interactively explore the properties of up to five functions at a time.  When you enter a function, adjustable parameters are automatically recognized, and sliders are created to vary the values of these parameters.  Additional features include the ability plot derivatives and integrals and create animations.  After customizing the program to your liking, you can save the settings for later use with students or colleagues, or save the plot as an image file, a text file, or an animated video.  For examples of how this package can be used to explore various physics problems, see the chapter "Using the Computer as a Black Box" at http://www.compadre.org/osp/items/detail.cfm?ID=11330.

This program can also be used to analyze and fit experimental data.  Experimental data can be loaded and selected from a text file containing an arbitrary number of columns.  The appearance of the data can be customized in a variety of ways.  The data can then be analyzed manually, by dragging the sliders to adjust the values of parameters, or they can be analyzed automatically using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm.

The Function Plotting and Data Fitting Model was developed using the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) modeling tool.  It is distributed as a ready-to-run (compiled) Java archive.   Double clicking the ejs_fmu_FunctionPlottingAndDataFitting.jar file will run the program if Java is installed.  For additional documentation, run the program and then press Alt-H.  You can modify this simulation if you have EJS installed by right-clicking within the plot and selecting "Open Ejs Model" from the pop-up menu item.

Please note that this resource requires at least version 1.5 of Java.