# parameter fitting for a trascendental equation model

I want to solve the following problem with Mathematica: I have a physical model relating the $$y$$ variable with the $$x$$ variable given by the next expression:

$$y=C_1\left[ \exp\left( \dfrac{x-C_3y}{0.0259C_2} \right)-1 \right]$$

where $$C_i$$ are the parameters that should be fitted given a set of experimental data $$(x_i,y_i)$$.

The problem that confuse me here is the nature of the model, the $$y$$ variable appears in both side of the equation and I cannot express that in the form $$y=f(x,\vec{C_i})$$, so I think that I can't use FindFit or NonlinearModelFit functions. I tried to use the following objective function instead:

$$\sum_{i=1}^{\text{data}}\left(y_i-C_1\left[ \exp\left( \dfrac{x_i-C_3y^{\text{model}}}{0.0259C_2} \right)-1 \right] \right)^{2}$$

and find its minimum using FindMinimum, but still having the problem that I can't calculate the $$y$$ values predicted by model if I don't have the values of the parameters. I wrote this attempt of the solution in Mathematica, but is obviously wrong:

fun1[x_, y_, c1_, c2_, c3_] :=c1*(Exp[(x - c3*y)/(0.0259*c2)] - 1);
data = Import[NotebookDirectory[] <> "ivdata.txt", "Table"];
s = Sum[(i[[2]] - fun1[i[[1]], i[[2]], c1, c2, c3])^2, {i, data}];
c = {1.0*10^-9, 2.0, 1.0} (*initials values*);
NMinimize[s, {c1, c2, c3}]
(*or*)
FindMinimum[s, {c1, c[[1]]}, {c2, c[[2]]}, {c3, c[[3]]}]


I would appreciate some advice to solve this problem

Perhaps this approach?

Transform the equation by manipulating and taking the log of both sides:

eq = Log[y + c1] == Log[c1] + (x - c3 y)/(0.0259 c2)


Solve for x to get x as a function of y:

x /. Solve[eq, x][[1]]

(* -0.0259 c2 (-((38.61 c3 y)/c2)+ Log[c1]-Log[c1+y]) *)


Now we have x as a function of y and 3 parameters, so we can ft the data to this model.