[R] Displaying a distribution -- was: Combining two histograms

[Berton Gunter]

Rug plots cannot show replicated values -- spikes at discrete values -- in
the data distribution. Quantile plots do.

-- Bert Gunter
Genentech Non-Clinical Statistics
South San Francisco, CA
 
"The business of the statistician is to catalyze the scientific learning
process."  - George E. P. Box
 
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-help-bounces at stat.math.ethz.ch 
> [mailto:r-help-bounces at stat.math.ethz.ch] On Behalf Of Gabor 
> Grothendieck
> Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 9:20 AM
> To: r-help at stat.math.ethz.ch
> Subject: Re: [R] Displaying a distribution -- was: Combining 
> two histograms
> 
> Berton Gunter <gunter.berton <at> gene.com> writes:
> 
> : 
> : May I take this off topic a little to seek collective 
> wisdom (and so feel
> : free to reply privately).
> : 
> : The catalyst is Deepayan's remark:
> : 
> : > Histograms were appropriate for drawing density estimates by 
> : > hand in the  good old days, but I can imagine very few 
> situations where I 
> : > would not prefer to use smoother density estimates when I 
> have the 
> : > computational power to do so.
> : > 
> : > Deepayan
> : 
> : Generally, I agree; but the appearance and thus one's perception and
> : interpretation of both histograms and density plots depend upon the
> : parameters chosen for the display (bin boundaries for 
> histograms; bandwidth
> : and kernel for density plots). 
> 
> If the problem is distrust of the procedure one can simulataneously
> display the raw data with a rug plot, 
> 
> example(rug)
> 
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