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Re: need little help

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg23544] Re: [mg23530] need little help
  • From: Ken Levasseur <Kenneth_Levasseur at uml.edu>
  • Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 03:10:22 -0400 (EDT)
  • Organization: UMass Lowell
  • References: <200005170230.WAA22619@smc.vnet.net>
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Wagner:

I've used a variation of the following function to illustrate pattern
matching in my Mathematica class. 

In[8]:=
m = {0.2, 0.4, 0.1, 0.3}

Out[8]=
{0.2, 0.4, 0.1, 0.3}

In[9]:=
RandomIndex[m_] := 
 (m /. {{a__, b___} :> Length[{a}] /; Plus[a] >= #}) &[Random[]]

In[10]:=
Count[Table[RandomIndex[m], {1000}], #] & /@ Range[1, 4]/1000.

Out[10]=
{0.211, 0.397, 0.103, 0.273}

****Using an iMac DV *****
In[11]:=
Timing[Table[RandomIndex[m], {1000}]] // First

Out[11]=
0.3 Second

Ken Levasseur
UMass Lowell
Instructor: the online course Introduction to Mathematica
 (http://www.uml.edu/dept/math/m419.html)  Starts May 21!


Wagner Truppel wrote:
> 
> Howdy everyone,
> 
> I have a list of probabilities (whose sum is 1.0), each associated
> with an index. I'd like to randomly choose an index based on those
> probabilities. For example, suppose
> 
> m = {0.2, 0.4, 0.1, 0.3}
> 
> which dictates that index 1 should be selected with prob 0.2, index 2
> with prob 0.4, index 3 with prob 0.1, and index 4 with prob 0.3.
> 
> I've already written a function that works, but I think there should
> be a simpler, more elegant, and more efficient way of accomplishing
> this task.
> 
> Here's my solution:
> 
> randomIndexPick[ m_ ] :=
>      Module[ { r, s },
>        r = Random[];
>        s = Sort[ Thread[ { m, Range[ Length[m] ] } ] ];
>        s = Table[ { Sum[ s[[i, 1]], { i, 1, k } ], s[[k, 2]] },
>                   { k, 1, Length[m] } ];
>        s = Map[ ( { r * First[#], Last[#] } ) &, s ];
>        s = Select[ s, ( First[#] ) & ];
>        Return[ s[[1, 2]] ] ];
> 
> Table[ randomIndexPick[ {0.2, 0.4, 0.1, 0.3} ], {20} ]
> 
> {4, 4, 1, 2, 2, 4, 4, 1, 4, 4, 2, 3, 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 3, 2, 3}
> 
> Does anybody have a better solution?
> 
> Thanks!
> Wagner


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