These properties may be understood as an example of Sloppy Model behavior . Sloppy model methods apply when detailed descriptions of a system may involve many underlying details and parameters, but most parameters values are highly or entirely uncertain when fit to data. In these cases, a few combinations of parameters can nonetheless be well-defined. Viewing the multicomponent exponential relaxation problem from this perspective provides insight and informs rigorous and practical approaches to dealing with essential ambiguities. This perspective is described further in Part 2 of this report.