Normalization vs Reweighting a histogram

In summary, normalization is a process that scales a histogram by a constant value, without changing its shape. Reweighting, on the other hand, can be applied as a scaling factor to a histogram or as an argument in the TH1::Fill method. However, reweighting with a constant weight does not have much meaning and multiplying/dividing the weight with the x-value does not make sense. The sum of squared weights is taken into account if the histogram's Sumw2() function is called. The weight influences the y coordinate of the histogram, with unweighted events having a y-value of 2 and weighted events having a y-value equal to the sum of their weights.
  • #1
ChrisVer
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I am trying to clarify what someone means by the words : normalize, reweight. So I'll write what I think they do in practice:
1. Normalization: takes a histogram and scales it by a constant value. The shape of the histogram is not changing, but how the y-axis looks does.
2. Reweight : here I get confused. I have seen reweighting applied as a scaling factor to a histogram as well as an argument in the TH1::Fill method. The first obviously doens't change the shape of the histogram but its normalization (and works if the weights are all equal), while the second seems to change the same (because in a histogram of [itex]h(x)[/itex] per [itex]x_i[/itex] goes to [itex]w_i x_i[/itex], right? or does it go to [itex]x_i/ w_i[/itex]? I am also not sure if the sum of weights is being automatically applies: [itex] \frac{w_i x_i}{\sum w_i}[/itex]?
The thing is that I came across a histogram H with x-values ranging from 0-500 and events ranging all over it. I also had weights that were [itex]\sim 10^{-6}[/itex]...what confuses me is after reweighting the resulting histogram H' didn't have its values all taken down to 0 ( an event at 500 for example would have to be brought down to 500 e-6 = 5e-4 etc...) but rather sent up (to around 1000).
 
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  • #2
ChrisVer said:
1. Normalization: takes a histogram and scales it by a constant value. The shape of the histogram is not changing, but how the y-axis looks does.
It is also possible to normalize to bin width, then the histogram changes its shape if the bin width is not constant.

Reweighing with constant weight doesn't make much sense.

The weight is not a factor on the x-value, multiplying/dividing those two does not make sense.

ROOT takes the sum of squared (!) weights into account if you call Sumw2() before filling the histogram.

Where does the number 1000 come from?
 
  • #3
mfb said:
The weight is not a factor on the x-value, multiplying/dividing those two does not make sense.

So what does the weight do?
 
  • #4
It influences the y coordinate. If you have two unweighted events in a bin your y-value is 2, if you have event weights you y-value is the sum of the weights.
 

1. What is the difference between normalization and reweighting a histogram?

Normalization and reweighting are two techniques used to adjust the shape and scale of a histogram. Normalization involves dividing each bin by the total number of events in the histogram, while reweighting involves multiplying each bin by a weight factor.

2. When should I use normalization vs reweighting on a histogram?

Normalization is typically used when comparing histograms with different numbers of events or when looking at the relative distribution of events within a single histogram. Reweighting is often used to correct for biases or to compare histograms with different distributions.

3. How do normalization and reweighting affect the shape of a histogram?

Normalization will not change the shape of a histogram, but it will affect the y-axis scale. Reweighting, on the other hand, can change the shape of a histogram by multiplying each bin by a different weight factor.

4. Are there any limitations to using normalization or reweighting on a histogram?

Normalization can only be used if the total number of events in the histogram is known. Reweighting requires a weight factor to be calculated or provided, which may not always be available or accurate. Additionally, both techniques can only be applied to histograms with numerical data.

5. How do normalization and reweighting impact the interpretation of a histogram?

Normalization allows for a comparison of the relative distribution of events within a histogram, while reweighting can help correct for biases and allow for a comparison of histograms with different distributions. However, both techniques can potentially obscure the true underlying data, so it is important to carefully consider the implications of using them.

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