Smoothing a histogram plot | Vose Software

Smoothing a histogram plot

See also: Presenting results introduction, Graphical descriptions of model outputs, Histogram (density) plots, Plotting a variable with discrete and continuous elements

Some Monte Carlo software offer the facility to smooth a histogram plot. We don't recommend this approach because: a) it suggests greater accuracy than actually exists; b) it fits a spline curve that will accentuate (unnecessarily) any peaks and troughs, as well as adding non-existent features to the curve,  and c) if the scale remains the same, the area does not integrate to equal one unless the original band widths were one x-axis unit wide.

Figure 1. Histogram plots

 

Figure 2. Histogram - Fitted Curve plots

Read on: Overlaying histogram plots

 

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