 Hitchcock and Sober’s approach derives from a particular solution to the curve-fitting problem presented in Forster and Sober 1994. The curve fitting problem is how to select an optimally supported curve on the basis of a given body of data (e.g., a set of \([X,Y]\) points plotted on a coordinate graph). A well-supported curve will feature both ‘goodness of fit’ with the data and simplicity (intuitively, avoiding highly bumpy or irregular patterns). Solving the curve-fitting problem requires some precise way of characterizing a curve’s simplicity, a way of characterizing goodness of fit, and a method of balancing simplicity against goodness of fit to identify an optimal curve. 