A user-friendly spreadsheet program for calibration using weighted regression

An interactive user-friendly computer spreadsheet for calibration is described. This spreadsheet application (developed in Excel from Microsoft®) enables analytical chemists to apply linear regression analysis using weighted least squares. Several types of calibration functions — as well as various variance models — are available. The calculated calibration function with confidence intervals and standardized residuals are graphically displayed. F-tests are performed in order to distinguish between ‘simple’ and more ‘complex’ calibration functions. Maximum likelihood can be used to select between variance models. Traceability of the calibration procedures is obtained by a built-in log function. The performance of the application is illustrated by a calibration example.