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# lsqnonneg

Solve nonnegative least-squares constraints problem

## Equation

Solves nonnegative least-squares curve fitting problems of the form

## Syntax

```x = lsqnonneg(C,d)x = lsqnonneg(C,d,options)x = lsqnonneg(problem)[x,resnorm] = lsqnonneg(...)[x,resnorm,residual] = lsqnonneg(...)[x,resnorm,residual,exitflag] = lsqnonneg(...)[x,resnorm,residual,exitflag,output] = lsqnonneg(...)[x,resnorm,residual,exitflag,output,lambda] = lsqnonneg(...)```

## Description

`x = lsqnonneg(C,d)` returns the vector `x` that minimizes `norm(C*x-d)` subject to `x >= 0`. `C` and `d` must be real.

`x = lsqnonneg(C,d,options)` minimizes with the optimization parameters specified in the structure `options`. You can define these parameters using the `optimset` function. `lsqnonneg` uses these `options` structure fields:

 `Display` Level of display. `'off'` displays no output; `'final'` displays just the final output; `'notify'` (default) displays output only if the function does not converge. `TolX` Termination tolerance on `x`, a positive scalar. The default is `10*eps*norm(C,1)*length(C)`.

`x = lsqnonneg(problem)` finds the minimum for `problem`, where `problem` is a structure with the following fields:

 `C` Matrix `d` Vector `solver` `'lsqnonneg'` `options` Options structure created using `optimset`

`[x,resnorm] = lsqnonneg(...)` returns the value of the squared 2-norm of the residual: `norm(C*x-d)^2`.

`[x,resnorm,residual] = lsqnonneg(...)` returns the residual, `d-C*x`.

`[x,resnorm,residual,exitflag] = lsqnonneg(...)` returns a value `exitflag` that describes the exit condition of `lsqnonneg`:

 >0 Indicates that the function converged to a solution `x`. 0 Indicates that the iteration count was exceeded. Increasing the tolerance (`TolX` parameter in `options`) may lead to a solution.

```[x,resnorm,residual,exitflag,output] = lsqnonneg(...)``` returns a structure `output` that contains information about the operation in the following fields:

 `algorithm` `'active-set'` `iterations` The number of iterations taken `message` Exit message

```[x,resnorm,residual,exitflag,output,lambda] = lsqnonneg(...)``` returns the dual vector (Lagrange multipliers) `lambda`, where `lambda(i)<=0` when `x(i)` is (approximately) `0`, and `lambda(i)` is (approximately) `0` when `x(i)>0`.

## Examples

Compare the unconstrained least squares solution to the `lsqnonneg` solution for a 4-by-2 problem:

```C = [ 0.0372 0.2869 0.6861 0.7071 0.6233 0.6245 0.6344 0.6170]; d = [ 0.8587 0.1781 0.0747 0.8405]; [C\d lsqnonneg(C,d)] = -2.5627 0 3.1108 0.6929 [norm(C*(C\d)-d) norm(C*lsqnonneg(C,d)-d)] = 0.6674 0.9118```

The solution from `lsqnonneg` does not fit as well (has a larger residual), as the least squares solution. However, the nonnegative least squares solution has no negative components.

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### Algorithms

`lsqnonneg` uses the algorithm described in [1]. The algorithm starts with a set of possible basis vectors and computes the associated dual vector `lambda`. It then selects the basis vector corresponding to the maximum value in `lambda` in order to swap out of the basis in exchange for another possible candidate. This continues until `lambda <= 0`.

## References

[1] Lawson, C.L. and R.J. Hanson, Solving Least Squares Problems, Prentice-Hall, 1974, Chapter 23, p. 161.