Generating Random x-y Coordinates within a 2x2 Square Using randn Function

[strokebow]

Okay... I am using the randn function for a sequence of normally distributed numbers.
I am writing a program whereby I need to use this randn to give me random x and y values whose position r is less than 1

i.e. that is to say that all points fall within a 2 x 2 square centred at (0, 0).
And I MUST use randn

Can anyone help me achieve this.

thanks

 

[las3rjock]

Do you need the points to have any particular distribution (normal, uniform, etc.)? You could just discard any generated points that fall outside the 2 x 2 square, but then the points will not have a normal distribution.

 

[tacman]

Sure, I can definitely help you with this! The randn function in MATLAB generates a sequence of normally distributed random numbers with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. To generate random x-y coordinates within a 2x2 square, we can use the following steps:

1. First, we need to define the size of our square, which is 2x2. We can do this by creating two variables, let's say xSize and ySize, and assigning them a value of 2.

2. Next, we need to generate random x and y values using the randn function. We can do this by creating two variables, xCoord and yCoord, and assigning them the output of the randn function multiplied by the size of our square. This will give us a range of values from -2 to 2 for both x and y.

3. Now, we need to make sure that the generated coordinates fall within our square. To do this, we can use an if statement to check if the absolute value of xCoord and yCoord is less than or equal to the size of our square (i.e. 2). If they are, then we can use these coordinates, otherwise, we can generate new coordinates until we get a valid pair.

4. Finally, we can plot these coordinates using the scatter function in MATLAB to visualize our points within the 2x2 square.

Here is an example code that implements these steps:

xSize = 2; % size of the square in x direction
ySize = 2; % size of the square in y direction

xCoord = randn * xSize; % generate random x coordinate
yCoord = randn * ySize; % generate random y coordinate

% check if coordinates fall within the square
if abs(xCoord) <= xSize && abs(yCoord) <= ySize
% plot the coordinates within the square
scatter(xCoord, yCoord);
else
% if coordinates are outside the square, generate new ones until we get a valid pair
while abs(xCoord) > xSize || abs(yCoord) > ySize
xCoord = randn * xSize;
yCoord = randn * ySize;
end
% plot the valid coordinates within the square
scatter(xCoord, yCoord);
end

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions or