# LsqFit: strange DomainError

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907>\
**Category:** Optimization (Mathematical)\
**Created:** [September 7, 2022, 6:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907 "2022-09-07T18:39:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gregstrq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gregstrq/32/20620_2.png) [@Gregstrq](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Gregstrq)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907/1 "2022-09-07T18:40:00Z")

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I am using `LsqFit` to fit the data for some correlation function. I am not going to go into details, but it is convenient for me to actually fit the logarithm of the correlation function.

```julia
using LsqFit
g(x, N, ξ, α, β) = log((exp(-(x-1)/ξ)+exp(-(N+1-x)/ξ)) + α) + β
model(x,p) = g.(xdata, 14, p[1], p[2], p[3])
fit = curve_fit(xdata, corfunc_data.|>log, [1.0,0.1,1.0]; lower = [0.01,0.0,-Inf])

```

When I am trying to fit the data, sometimes I get a `DomainError` coming from the logarithm inside `g`-function: for some reason, I get a negative argument there.

The exponentials in `g`-function are always positive, so the only way to obtain a negative value, is to use negative `α`. However, I put a lower zero bound on `α`. **Why do I get `DomainError` then?** Does `LsqFit` for some reason tries the values outside the specified boundaries?

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**Author:** ![feanor12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/feanor12/32/8212_2.png) [@feanor12](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/feanor12)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 7:03pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907/2 "2022-09-07T19:03:44Z")

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Maybe you get 0, which, as far as I remember, is also not defined.

You can also try to set `show_trace=true` to print all parameters during the optimization.

I think the lower bound is a valid parameter value according to the code.

> <https://github.com/JuliaNLSolvers/LsqFit.jl/blob/e9b9e87327dd84a9113bf89d02e0ac201687de02/src/levenberg_marquardt.jl#L218>

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**Author:** ![Gregstrq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gregstrq/32/20620_2.png) [@Gregstrq](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Gregstrq)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907/3 "2022-09-07T19:16:01Z")

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No, `log(0.0)` does not produce a `DomainError`, it simply gives `-Inf`.

I think the problem might be with the jacobian estimation. If the jacobian is not provided, then it is approximated using a finite difference method. My guess, finite difference procedure does not care about the bounds and results in a negative argument.

It may be good idea to add an option, which will restrict finite difference method to use the values inside the specified boundaries as well.

> [@feanor12](#):
>
> You can also try to set `show_trace=true` to print all parameters during the optimization.

I will try it tomorrow. But I think, my gues would prove to be correct.

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**Author:** ![feanor12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/feanor12/32/8212_2.png) [@feanor12](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/feanor12)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907/4 "2022-09-07T19:28:00Z")

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ForwardDiff should work with log(0).

```julia
julia> ForwardDiff.jacobian((x)->[log(x[1])],[0.0])
1×1 Matrix{Float64}:
 Inf

julia> ForwardDiff.jacobian((x)->[log(x[1])],[0.1])
1×1 Matrix{Float64}:
 10.0

julia> ForwardDiff.jacobian((x)->[log(x[1])],[0.5])
1×1 Matrix{Float64}:
 2.0

```

Also the `xdata` in the model function might be a typo and should be `x`.

```julia
model(x,p) = g.(x, 14, p[1], p[2], p[3])

```

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**Author:** ![cgeoga](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cgeoga/32/216186_2.png) [@cgeoga](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/cgeoga)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907/5 "2022-09-07T21:16:20Z")

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I don’t know `LsqFit`, but in general I think constrained nonlinear solvers only promise that their end result satisfies constraints, and so maybe that applies to box constraints too and the solver peaks a bit outside your box in some intermediate steps. A simple check would just be to instead fit the log of alpha and beta instead so that `g` has `exp(alpha)` and `exp(beta)`. That can obviously cause other problems and isn’t always advisable, but it also doesn’t take much effort to try and might be illuminating about what’s going on.

A second option that I think is pretty common is to just check for the constraints inside your objective and return a big number if they are violated. How best to do something like this is probably solver-dependent, but I’m sure you see what I mean.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gregstrq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gregstrq/32/20620_2.png) [@Gregstrq](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Gregstrq)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/lsqfit-strange-domainerror/86907/6 "2022-09-07T21:49:13Z")

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As I have said, this is really the problem of finite difference jacobian estimation. I have checked the stacktrace of `DomainError`, and there was a function called something like `jacobian_finite_difference` (up to reordering of the words).

I have passed `autodiff=forward` to `curve_fit`, and the problem was solved.