Services & ResourcesWolfram ForumsMathGroup Archive

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

creating distributions

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg14697] creating distributions
• From: "Naum Phleger" <naum at terrapin.physics.ucsb.edu>
• Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1998 21:15:54 -0500
• Organization: UCSB
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

    I want to distribute vectors for a given vector field evenly over
the surface of a sphere.  The easiest way that I have come up with is
to generate a random list of {theta,fi} pairs.  This makes the field
too dense at the north and south poles.  I would like to use a cosine
distribution to be used in my random number generator so that I get a
more uniform distribution.  Here is my code now, and what I would like
it to look more like.

density is the total number of vectors

NOW:
    pointlist=Table[{Random[Real,{ -pi/2 , pi/2 }], Random[Real,{ -pi ,
pi }]},{density,i}]

DESIRED
    pointlist=Table[{Random[CosDistribution,{ -pi/2 , pi/2 }],
Random[Real,{ -pi , pi }]},{density,i}]



              -NAUM

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: creating distributions
    • From: Jurgen Tischer <jtischer@col2.telecom.com.co>