org.apache.commons.math.stat.descriptive.rank
Class Percentile

java.lang.Object
  org.apache.commons.math.stat.descriptive.AbstractUnivariateStatistic
      org.apache.commons.math.stat.descriptive.rank.Percentile

All Implemented Interfaces:

Serializable, UnivariateStatistic

Direct Known Subclasses:

Median

public class Percentile
extends AbstractUnivariateStatistic
implements Serializable

Provides percentile computation.

There are several commonly used methods for estimating percentiles (a.k.a. quantiles) based on sample data. For large samples, the different methods agree closely, but when sample sizes are small, different methods will give significantly different results. The algorithm implemented here works as follows:

1. Let n be the length of the (sorted) array and 0 < p <= 100 be the desired percentile.
2. If n = 1 return the unique array element (regardless of the value of p); otherwise
3. Compute the estimated percentile position pos = p * (n + 1) / 100 and the difference, d between pos and floor(pos) (i.e. the fractional part of pos). If pos >= n return the largest element in the array; otherwise
4. Let lower be the element in position floor(pos) in the array and let upper be the next element in the array. Return lower + d * (upper - lower)

To compute percentiles, the data must be at least partially ordered. Input arrays are copied and recursively partitioned using an ordering definition. The ordering used by Arrays.sort(double[]) is the one determined by Double.compareTo(Double). This ordering makes Double.NaN larger than any other value (including Double.POSITIVE_INFINITY). Therefore, for example, the median (50th percentile) of {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, Double.NaN} evaluates to 2.5.

Since percentile estimation usually involves interpolation between array elements, arrays containing NaN or infinite values will often result in NaN or infinite values returned.

Since 2.2, Percentile implementation uses only selection instead of complete sorting and caches selection algorithm state between calls to the various evaluate methods when several percentiles are to be computed on the same data. This greatly improves efficiency, both for single percentile and multiple percentiles computations. However, it also induces a need to be sure the data at one call to evaluate is the same as the data with the cached algorithm state from the previous calls. Percentile does this by checking the array reference itself and a checksum of its content by default. If the user already knows he calls evaluate on an immutable array, he can save the checking time by calling the evaluate methods that do not

Note that this implementation is not synchronized. If multiple threads access an instance of this class concurrently, and at least one of the threads invokes the increment() or clear() method, it must be synchronized externally.

Version:

$Revision: 1006299 $ $Date: 2010-10-10 16:47:17 +0200 (dim. 10 oct. 2010) $

See Also:

Serialized Form

Constructor Summary

Percentile()
Constructs a Percentile with a default quantile value of 50.0.

Percentile(double p)
Constructs a Percentile with the specific quantile value.

Percentile(Percentile original)
Copy constructor, creates a new Percentile identical to the original

Method Summary

Percentile	copy() Returns a copy of the statistic with the same internal state.
static void	copy(Percentile source, Percentile dest) Copies source to dest.
double	evaluate(double p) Returns the result of evaluating the statistic over the stored data.
double	evaluate(double[] values, double p) Returns an estimate of the pth percentile of the values in the values array.
double	evaluate(double[] values, int start, int length) Returns an estimate of the quantileth percentile of the designated values in the values array.
double	evaluate(double[] values, int begin, int length, double p) Returns an estimate of the pth percentile of the values in the values array, starting with the element in (0-based) position begin in the array and including length values.
double	getQuantile() Returns the value of the quantile field (determines what percentile is computed when evaluate() is called with no quantile argument).
void	setData(double[] values) Set the data array.
void	setData(double[] values, int begin, int length) Set the data array.
void	setQuantile(double p) Sets the value of the quantile field (determines what percentile is computed when evaluate() is called with no quantile argument).

Methods inherited from class org.apache.commons.math.stat.descriptive.AbstractUnivariateStatistic

evaluate, evaluate, getData, getDataRef, test, test

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Constructor Detail

Percentile

public Percentile()

Constructs a Percentile with a default quantile value of 50.0.

Percentile

public Percentile(double p)

Constructs a Percentile with the specific quantile value.

Parameters:

p - the quantile

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if p is not greater than 0 and less than or equal to 100

Percentile

public Percentile(Percentile original)

Copy constructor, creates a new Percentile identical to the original

Parameters:

original - the Percentile instance to copy

Method Detail

setData

public void setData(double[] values)

Set the data array.

The stored value is a copy of the parameter array, not the array itself

Overrides:

setData in class AbstractUnivariateStatistic

Parameters:

values - data array to store (may be null to remove stored data)

See Also:

AbstractUnivariateStatistic.evaluate()

setData

public void setData(double[] values,
                    int begin,
                    int length)

Set the data array.

Overrides:

setData in class AbstractUnivariateStatistic

Parameters:

values - data array to store

begin - the index of the first element to include

length - the number of elements to include

See Also:

AbstractUnivariateStatistic.evaluate()

evaluate

public double evaluate(double p)

Returns the result of evaluating the statistic over the stored data.

The stored array is the one which was set by previous calls to

Parameters:

p - the percentile value to compute

Returns:

the value of the statistic applied to the stored data

evaluate

public double evaluate(double[] values,
                       double p)

Returns an estimate of the pth percentile of the values in the values array.

Calls to this method do not modify the internal quantile state of this statistic.

• Returns Double.NaN if values has length 0
• Returns (for any value of p) values[0] if values has length 1
• Throws IllegalArgumentException if values is null or p is not a valid quantile value (p must be greater than 0 and less than or equal to 100)

See Percentile for a description of the percentile estimation algorithm used.

Parameters:

values - input array of values

p - the percentile value to compute

Returns:

the percentile value or Double.NaN if the array is empty

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if values is null or p is invalid

evaluate

public double evaluate(double[] values,
                       int start,
                       int length)

Returns an estimate of the quantileth percentile of the designated values in the values array. The quantile estimated is determined by the quantile property.

• Returns Double.NaN if length = 0
• Returns (for any value of quantile) values[begin] if length = 1
• Throws IllegalArgumentException if values is null, or start or length is invalid

See Percentile for a description of the percentile estimation algorithm used.

Specified by:

evaluate in interface UnivariateStatistic

Specified by:

evaluate in class AbstractUnivariateStatistic

Parameters:

values - the input array

start - index of the first array element to include

length - the number of elements to include

Returns:

the percentile value

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if the parameters are not valid

evaluate

public double evaluate(double[] values,
                       int begin,
                       int length,
                       double p)

Returns an estimate of the pth percentile of the values in the values array, starting with the element in (0-based) position begin in the array and including length values.

Calls to this method do not modify the internal quantile state of this statistic.

• Returns Double.NaN if length = 0
• Returns (for any value of p) values[begin] if length = 1
• Throws IllegalArgumentException if values is null , begin or length is invalid, or p is not a valid quantile value (p must be greater than 0 and less than or equal to 100)

See Percentile for a description of the percentile estimation algorithm used.

Parameters:

values - array of input values

p - the percentile to compute

begin - the first (0-based) element to include in the computation

length - the number of array elements to include

Returns:

the percentile value

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if the parameters are not valid or the input array is null

getQuantile

public double getQuantile()

Returns the value of the quantile field (determines what percentile is computed when evaluate() is called with no quantile argument).

Returns:

quantile

setQuantile

public void setQuantile(double p)

Sets the value of the quantile field (determines what percentile is computed when evaluate() is called with no quantile argument).

Parameters:

p - a value between 0 < p <= 100

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if p is not greater than 0 and less than or equal to 100

copy

public Percentile copy()

Returns a copy of the statistic with the same internal state.

Specified by:

copy in interface UnivariateStatistic

Specified by:

copy in class AbstractUnivariateStatistic

Returns:

a copy of the statistic

copy

public static void copy(Percentile source,
                        Percentile dest)

Copies source to dest.

Neither source nor dest can be null.

Parameters:

source - Percentile to copy

dest - Percentile to copy to

Throws:

NullPointerException - if either source or dest is null