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1[section:gamma_dist Gamma (and Erlang) Distribution]
2
3``#include <boost/math/distributions/gamma.hpp>``
4
5   namespace boost{ namespace math{
6
7   template <class RealType = double,
8             class ``__Policy``   = ``__policy_class`` >
9   class gamma_distribution
10   {
11   public:
12      typedef RealType value_type;
13      typedef Policy   policy_type;
14
15      gamma_distribution(RealType shape, RealType scale = 1)
16
17      RealType shape()const;
18      RealType scale()const;
19   };
20
21   }} // namespaces
22
23The gamma distribution is a continuous probability distribution.
24When the shape parameter is an integer then it is known as the
25Erlang Distribution.  It is also closely related to the Poisson
26and Chi Squared Distributions.
27
28When the shape parameter has an integer value, the distribution is the
29[@http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_distribution Erlang distribution].
30Since this can be produced by ensuring that the shape parameter has an
31integer value > 0, the Erlang distribution is not separately implemented.
32
33[note
34To avoid potential confusion with the gamma functions, this
35distribution does not provide the typedef:
36
37``typedef gamma_distribution<double> gamma;``
38
39Instead if you want a double precision gamma distribution you can write
40
41``boost::math::gamma_distribution<> my_gamma(1, 1);``
42]
43
44For shape parameter /k/ and scale parameter [theta] it is defined by the
45probability density function:
46
47[equation gamma_dist_ref1]
48
49Sometimes an alternative formulation is used: given parameters
50[alpha] = k and [beta] = 1 / [theta], then the
51distribution can be defined by the PDF:
52
53[equation gamma_dist_ref2]
54
55In this form the inverse scale parameter is called a /rate parameter/.
56
57Both forms are in common usage: this library uses the first definition
58throughout.  Therefore to construct a Gamma Distribution from a ['rate
59parameter], you should pass the reciprocal of the rate as the scale parameter.
60
61The following two graphs illustrate how the PDF of the gamma distribution
62varies as the parameters vary:
63
64[graph gamma1_pdf]
65
66[graph gamma2_pdf]
67
68The [*Erlang Distribution] is the same as the Gamma, but with the shape parameter
69an integer.  It is often expressed using a /rate/ rather than a /scale/ as the
70second parameter (remember that the rate is the reciprocal of the scale).
71
72Internally the functions used to implement the Gamma Distribution are
73already optimised for small-integer arguments, so in general there should
74be no great loss of performance from using a Gamma Distribution rather than
75a dedicated Erlang Distribution.
76
77[h4 Member Functions]
78
79   gamma_distribution(RealType shape, RealType scale = 1);
80
81Constructs a gamma distribution with shape /shape/ and
82scale /scale/.
83
84Requires that the shape and scale parameters are greater than zero, otherwise calls
85__domain_error.
86
87   RealType shape()const;
88
89Returns the /shape/ parameter of this distribution.
90
91   RealType scale()const;
92
93Returns the /scale/ parameter of this distribution.
94
95[h4 Non-member Accessors]
96
97All the [link math_toolkit.dist_ref.nmp usual non-member accessor functions] that are generic to all
98distributions are supported: __usual_accessors.
99
100The domain of the random variable is \[0,+[infin]\].
101
102[h4 Accuracy]
103
104The gamma distribution is implemented in terms of the
105incomplete gamma functions __gamma_p and __gamma_q and their
106inverses __gamma_p_inv and __gamma_q_inv: refer to the accuracy
107data for those functions for more information.
108
109[h4 Implementation]
110
111In the following table /k/ is the shape parameter of the distribution,
112[theta] is its scale parameter, /x/ is the random variate, /p/ is the probability
113and /q = 1-p/.
114
115[table
116[[Function][Implementation Notes]]
117[[pdf][Using the relation: pdf = __gamma_p_derivative(k, x / [theta]) / [theta] ]]
118[[cdf][Using the relation: p = __gamma_p(k, x / [theta]) ]]
119[[cdf complement][Using the relation: q = __gamma_q(k, x / [theta]) ]]
120[[quantile][Using the relation: x = [theta] * __gamma_p_inv(k, p) ]]
121[[quantile from the complement][Using the relation: x = [theta]* __gamma_q_inv(k, p) ]]
122[[mean][k[theta] ]]
123[[variance][k[theta][super 2] ]]
124[[mode][(k-1)[theta] for ['k>1] otherwise a __domain_error ]]
125[[skewness][2 / sqrt(k) ]]
126[[kurtosis][3 + 6 / k]]
127[[kurtosis excess][6 / k ]]
128]
129
130[endsect] [/section:gamma_dist Gamma (and Erlang) Distribution]
131
132
133[/
134  Copyright 2006, 2010 John Maddock and Paul A. Bristow.
135  Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0.
136  (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at
137  http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt).
138]
139
140