Description
Documentation for gammavariate
The parameters of the gammavariate
function (in random
module) are alpha
, beta
.
We can see, from the mathematical description given, that these correspond to shape and scale. Wikipedia conventionally describes these using the symbols k
and theta
. Wikipedia uses beta
for rate, which is the reciprocal of scale: beta = 1/theta
This is a proposal to:
- explain that
alpha
andbeta
are also known as shape and scale; - reinforce that by adding that μ is proportional to scale;
- add a warning that these are not the conventional names.
or, more controversially, scrap all that and rename the parameters k and theta. I understand that the parameter names leak into the API, so maybe not this option.
Side note: there is some variability in naming convention. The only textbook i have to hand is Grimmett and Stirzaker "Probability and Random Process" (OUP, 1982). That uses Γ(λ, t) where lambda is rate and t is shape.
(A clear and concise description of the issue.)