René's URL Explorer Experiment

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DiscussionForumPosting","headline":"gammavariate uses misleading parameter names.","articleBody":"# Documentation for gammavariate\r\n\r\nThe parameters of the `gammavariate` function (in `random` module) are `alpha`, `beta`.\r\n\r\nWe can see, from the mathematical description given, that these correspond to _shape_ and _scale_. [Wikipedia conventionally describes these using the symbols `k` and `theta`](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_distribution). Wikipedia uses `beta` for _rate_, which is the reciprocal of _scale_: _beta_ = 1/_theta_\r\n\r\nThis is a proposal to:\r\n\r\n- explain that `alpha` and `beta` are also known as _shape_ and _scale_;\r\n- reinforce that by adding that μ is proportional to _scale_;\r\n- add a warning that these are not the conventional names.\r\n\r\nor, 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.\r\n\r\nSide 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.\r\n\r\n(A clear and concise description of the issue.)\r\n\n\n\u003c!-- gh-linked-prs --\u003e\n### Linked PRs\n* gh-104410\n* gh-104481\n\u003c!-- /gh-linked-prs --\u003e\n","author":{"url":"https://github.com/drj11","@type":"Person","name":"drj11"},"datePublished":"2023-05-09T18:33:13.000Z","interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":"https://schema.org/CommentAction","userInteractionCount":8},"url":"https://github.com/104337/cpython/issues/104337"}