[R] How to plot Histogram with frequence overlaid by distribution curve

WeiQiang.Li@seagate.com WeiQiang.Li at seagate.com
Thu Mar 4 07:26:39 CET 2004


Hi,

      I am having a new problem that how I can set the probability scale
from 0 to 1 when I using on probability scale. Sometimes I get the maximum
probabilty more than 100%.

      Thanks!

Best Regards,
WeiQiang

In response to a posting from WeiQiang Li:

> Hi,
> I am facing the problem that I want to plot a histogram chart set
> freq to true and overlay with normal or weibull or exponential
distribution
> curve.
>
> The sample code is shown as below:
> >samp<-c(-8.2262,-8.2262,-8.2262,-8.20209,-8.09294,-8.07321,-8.07321,
> -8.07321,-8.07175,-8.04948,-8.04948,-8.04948,-8.03848,-8.03848,
> -8.026,-7.92517,-7.92517,-7.77218,-7.62414,-7.62414,-7.62414,
> -7.59027,-7.59027,-7.59027,-7.59027,-7.59027,-7.59027,-7.28924,
> -7.28924,-6.78729,-6.25307)
>
> >hist(samp,freq=TRUE,br=20)
> >curve(dnorm(x,mean=mean(samp),sd=sd(samp)),add=TRUE)
>
> In the chart created based on above command, curve scale is too small
> compared to the freqeunce. My question here is how to adjust the scale of
> distribution curve. Thanks !
>

Gabor Grothendieck wrote:

> histdata <- hist(samp,freq=TRUE,br=20)
> curve(max(histdata$count)*dnorm(x,mean=mean(samp),sd=sd(samp)),add=TRUE)

This is a perfectly correct answer to a question that should not have
been asked in the first place.  What WeiQiang Li proposes to do makes
no sense at all, and will simply confuse and mislead the viewer/reader.
If a histogram is to be overlaid with a density curve that histogram
should represent a density and hence should be plotted on the density
scale --- NOT on the frequency scale.

                                                 cheers,

                                                             Rolf Turner

rolf at math.unb.ca




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