// find_scale.cpp // Copyright Paul A. Bristow 2007. // Use, modification and distribution are subject to the // Boost Software License, Version 1.0. // (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt // or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt) // Example of finding scale (standard deviation) for normal (Gaussian). // Note that this file contains Quickbook mark-up as well as code // and comments, don't change any of the special comment mark-ups! //[find_scale1 /*` First we need some includes to access the __normal_distrib, the algorithms to find scale (and some std output of course). */ #include // for normal_distribution using boost::math::normal; // typedef provides default type is double. #include using boost::math::find_scale; using boost::math::complement; // Needed if you want to use the complement version. using boost::math::policies::policy; // Needed to specify the error handling policy. #include using std::cout; using std::endl; #include using std::setw; using std::setprecision; #include using std::numeric_limits; //] [/find_scale1] int main() { cout << "Example: Find scale (standard deviation)." << endl; try { //[find_scale2 /*` For this example, we will use the standard __normal_distrib, with location (mean) zero and standard deviation (scale) unity. Conveniently, this is also the default for this implementation's constructor. */ normal N01; // Default 'standard' normal distribution with zero mean double sd = 1.; // and standard deviation is 1. /*`Suppose we want to find a different normal distribution with standard deviation so that only fraction p (here 0.001 or 0.1%) are below a certain chosen limit (here -2. standard deviations). */ double z = -2.; // z to give prob p double p = 0.001; // only 0.1% below z = -2 cout << "Normal distribution with mean = " << N01.location() // aka N01.mean() << ", standard deviation " << N01.scale() // aka N01.standard_deviation() << ", has " << "fraction <= " << z << ", p = " << cdf(N01, z) << endl; cout << "Normal distribution with mean = " << N01.location() << ", standard deviation " << N01.scale() << ", has " << "fraction > " << z << ", p = " << cdf(complement(N01, z)) << endl; // Note: uses complement. /*` [pre Normal distribution with mean = 0 has fraction <= -2, p = 0.0227501 Normal distribution with mean = 0 has fraction > -2, p = 0.97725 ] Noting that p = 0.02 instead of our target of 0.001, we can now use `find_scale` to give a new standard deviation. */ double l = N01.location(); double s = find_scale(z, p, l); cout << "scale (standard deviation) = " << s << endl; /*` that outputs: [pre scale (standard deviation) = 0.647201 ] showing that we need to reduce the standard deviation from 1. to 0.65. Then we can check that we have achieved our objective by constructing a new distribution with the new standard deviation (but same zero mean): */ normal np001pc(N01.location(), s); /*` And re-calculating the fraction below (and above) our chosen limit. */ cout << "Normal distribution with mean = " << l << " has " << "fraction <= " << z << ", p = " << cdf(np001pc, z) << endl; cout << "Normal distribution with mean = " << l << " has " << "fraction > " << z << ", p = " << cdf(complement(np001pc, z)) << endl; /*` [pre Normal distribution with mean = 0 has fraction <= -2, p = 0.001 Normal distribution with mean = 0 has fraction > -2, p = 0.999 ] [h4 Controlling how Errors from find_scale are handled] We can also control the policy for handling various errors. For example, we can define a new (possibly unwise) policy to ignore domain errors ('bad' arguments). Unless we are using the boost::math namespace, we will need: */ using boost::math::policies::policy; using boost::math::policies::domain_error; using boost::math::policies::ignore_error; /*` Using a typedef is convenient, especially if it is re-used, although it is not required, as the various examples below show. */ typedef policy > ignore_domain_policy; // find_scale with new policy, using typedef. l = find_scale(z, p, l, ignore_domain_policy()); // Default policy policy<>, needs using boost::math::policies::policy; l = find_scale(z, p, l, policy<>()); // Default policy, fully specified. l = find_scale(z, p, l, boost::math::policies::policy<>()); // New policy, without typedef. l = find_scale(z, p, l, policy >()); /*` If we want to express a probability, say 0.999, that is a complement, `1 - p` we should not even think of writing `find_scale(z, 1 - p, l)`, but [link why_complements instead], use the __complements version. */ z = -2.; double q = 0.999; // = 1 - p; // complement of 0.001. sd = find_scale(complement(z, q, l)); normal np95pc(l, sd); // Same standard_deviation (scale) but with mean(scale) shifted cout << "Normal distribution with mean = " << l << " has " << "fraction <= " << z << " = " << cdf(np95pc, z) << endl; cout << "Normal distribution with mean = " << l << " has " << "fraction > " << z << " = " << cdf(complement(np95pc, z)) << endl; /*` Sadly, it is all too easy to get probabilities the wrong way round, when you may get a warning like this: [pre Message from thrown exception was: Error in function boost::math::find_scale(complement(double, double, double, Policy)): Computed scale (-0.48043523852179076) is <= 0! Was the complement intended? ] The default error handling policy is to throw an exception with this message, but if you chose a policy to ignore the error, the (impossible) negative scale is quietly returned. */ //] [/find_scale2] } catch(const std::exception& e) { // Always useful to include try & catch blocks because default policies // are to throw exceptions on arguments that cause errors like underflow, overflow. // Lacking try & catch blocks, the program will abort without a message below, // which may give some helpful clues as to the cause of the exception. std::cout << "\n""Message from thrown exception was:\n " << e.what() << std::endl; } return 0; } // int main() //[find_scale_example_output /*` [pre Example: Find scale (standard deviation). Normal distribution with mean = 0, standard deviation 1, has fraction <= -2, p = 0.0227501 Normal distribution with mean = 0, standard deviation 1, has fraction > -2, p = 0.97725 scale (standard deviation) = 0.647201 Normal distribution with mean = 0 has fraction <= -2, p = 0.001 Normal distribution with mean = 0 has fraction > -2, p = 0.999 Normal distribution with mean = 0.946339 has fraction <= -2 = 0.001 Normal distribution with mean = 0.946339 has fraction > -2 = 0.999 ] */ //] [/find_scale_example_output]