normalCurve.frink

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// This program draws the normal curve or "bell curve" used in statistics.
// It's a bit slow because calculating inverseErf for very high sigmas is
// quite slow.

use statistics.frink

plotNormal[mean, sigma, minSigma, maxSigma, g is graphics] :=
{
   g.color[0.5,0.5,0.5]
   vscale = 8 sigma^2           // Found experimentally to look good.
   g.line[mean + (minSigma * sigma), 0, mean + (maxSigma * sigma), 0]
   width = maxSigma - minSigma

   // This polyline is the normal curve.
   c = new polyline
   for s=minSigma to maxSigma step (width/100)
   {
      x = mean + (sigma * s)
      y = -normalDensity[x, mean, sigma] * vscale
      c.addPoint[x,y]
   }

   g.add[c]

   g.color[0,0,0]

   steps = 1000
   low = 1/1000                 // Use rational numbers so that the exactly
   high = 999/1000              // right number of points is plotted.
   wheel = 0
   first = true
   points = 0
   for phi = high to low step ((low-high)/(steps-1))
   {
      z = inversePhi[phi,8]
      x = mean + sigma * z

      n = normalDensity[x, mean, sigma]
      do
      {
         wheel = (wheel + 0.618034) mod 1
      } while wheel > n
      
      h = wheel
      if first
      {
         g.color[1,0,0]         // Draw the "you" circle in red.
         g.fillEllipseCenter[x, -.25, 1, 1]
         g.color[0,0,0]
         g.font["SansSerif", 4]
         g.text["You are here.", x, 7]

         g.line[x, 5, x, 1]     // Arrow body
         // Arrowhead
         p=new filledPolygon
         p.addPoint[x,.65]
         p.addPoint[x+0.3,2.5]
         p.addPoint[x-0.3,2.5]
         g.add[p]
         
         first = false
      } else
         g.fillEllipseCenter[x, -h*vscale, 1, 1]

      points = points+1
   }
   println["$points points plotted."]
}

g = new graphics
plotNormal[100, 15, -3.0902, 3.0902, g]
g.show[]
g.write["normal.svg", 800, 600]
g.write["normal.png", 800, 600]


Download or view normalCurve.frink in plain text format


This is a program written in the programming language Frink.
For more information, view the Frink Documentation or see More Sample Frink Programs.

Alan Eliasen was born 20203 days, 11 hours, 42 minutes ago.