Using the Origin Integrate function does not work. This calculates the area for data as if the data were linear, even when I use it on a log-log plot.

Is there a simple way to integrate log-log data ?

Thanks,

Andreas

Hi Andreas,

The area returned by the Origin Integrate function is correct. You have changed the scale on which the data is displayed but you have not changed the data. The integration of the curve returns the actual area under the curve independent of how the data is displayed. The integration of the function f(x)=10 from 1 to 100 is 990 whether the plot is displayed on a linear-linear or a log-log scale. Integration does not return the area of the "paper" under the displayed curve it returns the area under the function.

One way to calculate the area of the paper under the displayed curve on a log10-log10 scale would be to log the data before plotting, plot the logged data (in linear space), and then integrate. To log the data click the new column button twice to add two new columns, set the column designation of the first new column to X (right click on the column name and select Set as X), right click on each new column and select Set Column Values, and then enter a formula similar too Col(C)=log(Col(A)) (depending on your column names), and then click OK. Plot the logged data in the new columns and then integrate as normal...the value returned will then be akin to the area of the paper under the original data when plotted on a log10-log10 scale.

I hope this is helpful.

-Gary

Using the integrate function for the original data gives an area of 132.475.

"Logging" the data gives
C(x) C(y)
1.30103 -1.92082
1.8451 -0.9393
2.47712 -0.9393
3.30103 -2.22185
and an integral of -2.67396. That is not
correct since the area on the paper under a
log-log plot can not be negative (y-values are always > 0).

For the exact solution one can calculate the area of the individual segments using the following equations:
slope = (log(y2))-log(y1))/(log(x2)-log(x1))
if slope = -1
area = x1 * y1 * LN[x2 / x1]
else
area = y1/(slope+1)*((x2/x1)^slope * x2 - x1)
If you do this for the three segments of the
above area you get approx 69.7.

Do you have any idea how to get this with Origin ?

-------

Thanks for the second post. I verified everything that you reported although I am sure that there is no bug involved...Origin is mathematically correct in everything that was done.

So, I copy/pasted your raw (un-logged data) into a worksheet named Data1 containing columns A(X) and B(Y) and ran the following script:

get Data1_A -e npts;
area=0;
for(ii=2;ii<=npts;ii++) {
  yy1=Data1_B[ii-1];
  xx1=Data1_A[ii-1];
  yy2=Data1_B[ii];
  xx2=Data1_A[ii];
  slope=(log(yy2)-log(yy1))/(log(xx2)-log(xx1));
  if(slope==-1) {temp=xx1*yy1*ln(xx2/xx1);}
  else {temp=yy1/(slope+1)*((xx2/xx1)^slope*xx2-xx1)};  
  area=area+temp;
};
area=;

The script is not pretty but it works. It essentially implements your formula. We generally don't provide complete scripts but this was easy enough to do given your formula. All I did was add the for loop and change your variable names. X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 are reserved system variables in Origin.

The script typed out the correct result in the script window:

AREA=69.65484855105967

I hope this is helpful.

-Gary

You wrote:
"I verified everything that you reported although I am sure that there is no bug involved...Origin is mathematically correct in everything that was done."

I did not intend to raise any doubts about the origin integration function. The integration function does exactly what it is supposed to do.

Only for my problem the trapezoidal rule of integration was not the appropriate rule to use. If one generated an increasing number of intermediate points (between the points I had given in my previous mail), then the integration using the trapezoidal rule would converge to the result the script gives.

So,again, I did not intent to raise any doubts about the origin integration function in any way.

Cheers,

Andreas