Least-squares fitting of circles and ellipses (Q5906711)

The problems of fitting circles and ellipses to given points in the plane are discussed. Two fitting principles are considered: (i) The ``geometric fit'' where the sum of the squares of the (orthogonal) distances to the given points is minimized and (ii) the ``algebraic fit'' where the parameters of a circle or an ellipse are determined in the usual least- squares sense. The ``geometric fit'' is also considered for the parametric form of a circle or an ellipse, respectively. Various algorithms for the ``geometric fit'' problems are compared. Further methods for the approximate solution of the ``geometric fit'' problem based on iterative ``algebraic fit'' solutions are discussed. Numerical examples are given. The paper contains outstanding and inspiring work in this area.