numpy.random.Generator.zipf

method

Generator.zipf(a, size=None)

Draw samples from a Zipf distribution.

Samples are drawn from a Zipf distribution with specified parameter a > 1.

The Zipf distribution (also known as the zeta distribution) is a continuous probability distribution that satisfies Zipf’s law: the frequency of an item is inversely proportional to its rank in a frequency table.

Parameters
afloat or array_like of floats

Distribution parameter. Must be greater than 1.

sizeint or tuple of ints, optional

Output shape. If the given shape is, e.g., (m, n, k), then m * n * k samples are drawn. If size is None (default), a single value is returned if a is a scalar. Otherwise, np.array(a).size samples are drawn.

Returns
outndarray or scalar

Drawn samples from the parameterized Zipf distribution.

See also

scipy.stats.zipf

probability density function, distribution, or cumulative density function, etc.

Notes

The probability density for the Zipf distribution is

System Message: WARNING/2 (p(x) = \frac{x^{-a}}{\zeta(a)}, )

latex exited with error [stdout] This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-1.40.18 (TeX Live 2017/Debian) (preloaded format=latex) restricted \write18 enabled. entering extended mode (./math.tex LaTeX2e <2017-04-15> Babel <3.18> and hyphenation patterns for 3 language(s) loaded. (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/article.cls Document Class: article 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/size12.clo)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/inputenc.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/utf8.def (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/t1enc.dfu) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/ot1enc.dfu) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/omsenc.dfu))) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsmath.sty For additional information on amsmath, use the `?' option. (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amstext.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsgen.sty)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsbsy.sty) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsopn.sty)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amscls/amsthm.sty) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsfonts/amssymb.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsfonts/amsfonts.sty)) ! LaTeX Error: File `anyfontsize.sty' not found. Type X to quit or <RETURN> to proceed, or enter new name. (Default extension: sty) Enter file name: ! Emergency stop. <read *> l.8 \usepackage {bm}^^M No pages of output. Transcript written on math.log.

where

System Message: WARNING/2 (\zeta)

latex exited with error [stdout] This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-1.40.18 (TeX Live 2017/Debian) (preloaded format=latex) restricted \write18 enabled. entering extended mode (./math.tex LaTeX2e <2017-04-15> Babel <3.18> and hyphenation patterns for 3 language(s) loaded. (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/article.cls Document Class: article 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/size12.clo)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/inputenc.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/utf8.def (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/t1enc.dfu) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/ot1enc.dfu) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/omsenc.dfu))) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsmath.sty For additional information on amsmath, use the `?' option. (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amstext.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsgen.sty)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsbsy.sty) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsmath/amsopn.sty)) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amscls/amsthm.sty) (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsfonts/amssymb.sty (/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/amsfonts/amsfonts.sty)) ! LaTeX Error: File `anyfontsize.sty' not found. Type X to quit or <RETURN> to proceed, or enter new name. (Default extension: sty) Enter file name: ! Emergency stop. <read *> l.8 \usepackage {bm}^^M No pages of output. Transcript written on math.log.

is the Riemann Zeta function.

It is named for the American linguist George Kingsley Zipf, who noted that the frequency of any word in a sample of a language is inversely proportional to its rank in the frequency table.

References

1

Zipf, G. K., “Selected Studies of the Principle of Relative Frequency in Language,” Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1932.

Examples

Draw samples from the distribution:

>>> a = 2. # parameter
>>> s = np.random.default_rng().zipf(a, 1000)

Display the histogram of the samples, along with the probability density function:

>>> import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
>>> from scipy import special  

Truncate s values at 50 so plot is interesting:

>>> count, bins, ignored = plt.hist(s[s<50],
...         50, density=True)
>>> x = np.arange(1., 50.)
>>> y = x**(-a) / special.zetac(a)  
>>> plt.plot(x, y/max(y), linewidth=2, color='r')  
>>> plt.show()