Plotting the sum of a function in TikZ

Question

I am trying to plot a function that is the sum of another function based on the parameter.

A famous example of this is the "sum of squares", however the functions I really want to do this do not have an explicit formula.

The following example shows the result I would like to get and a method how I would like to have it, which is obviously not giving the correct result.

\documentclass[border=10]{standalone}

\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.9}

\begin{document}
  % Explicit formula
  \pgfmathdeclarefunction{explicit_sum}{1}{%
    \pgfmathparse{(#1*(#1-1))/2}%
  }

  % The inner function
  \pgfmathdeclarefunction{square}{1}{%
    \pgfmathparse{#1*#1}%
  }

  % Compute the sum of another function
  % Does not work...
  \pgfmathdeclarefunction{manual_sum}{1}{%
    %Parameter should be integral
    \pgfmathtruncatemacro\cnt{#1}
    \pgfmathsetmacro\ret{0}
    \foreach \i in {1,...,\cnt} {
      \pgfmathsetmacro\ret{\ret + sum(\i)}
    }
    \pgfmathparse{\ret}
  }

  \begin{tikzpicture}
    \begin{axis}
      % Expected
      \addplot[samples at={1,...,10}] {explicit_sum(x)};

      % Does not work
      \addplot[samples at={1,...,10}] {manual_sum(x)};
    \end{axis}    
  \end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

Answer 1

If it is allowed to produce an "invisible" table to define the x values and then make the calculations in another column, then you could do the following.

\documentclass[border=5pt]{standalone}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{pgfplotstable}
    % Explicit formula
    \pgfmathdeclarefunction{explicit_sum}{1}{%
        \pgfmathparse{(#1*(#1-1))/2}%
    }
    \pgfplotstableset{
        % define how the 'x' column shall be filled
        % (in this case just with integers counting from 1)
        create on use/x/.style={
            create col/set list={1,...,100}
        },
        % -----
        % now you can either create here a column with your function ...
        create on use/fx/.style={
            create col/expr={(\thisrow{x})^2}
        },
        % ... and then accumulate the values here ...
        create on use/sum/.style={
            create col/expr accum={
                \pgfmathaccuma + \thisrow{fx}
            }{0},       % <-- start with `0'
        },
        % -----
        % ... or you accumulate directly with the function
        create on use/sum2/.style={
            create col/expr accum={
                \pgfmathaccuma + (\thisrow{x})^2
            }{0},       % <-- start with `0'
        },
        % -----
    }
    % here you create a new table using the columns you need and
    % with the first mandatory argument you specify the number of elements
    % the table should have
    % (so either `sum2' is redundant or (`fx' and `sum') are redundant)
    \pgfplotstablenew[
        columns={x,fx,sum,sum2},
    ]{10}{\loadedtable}
\begin{document}
%    % maybe it is useful to typeset the table for debugging purposes
%    \pgfplotstabletypeset[
%        columns={x,fx,sum,sum2},
%    ]{\loadedtable}
    \begin{tikzpicture}
        \begin{axis}[
            % added for debugging purposes or here to quicker check,
            % it one gets the desired output
            nodes near coords,
        ]
        % Expected
        \addplot+[samples at={1,...,10}] {explicit_sum(x)};

        % when the table is created, you can use the columns here
        \addplot table [x=x,y=sum] {\loadedtable};
        \end{axis}
    \end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

Answer 2

TL; DR, the function declaration should be

  \pgfmathdeclarefunction{manual_sum}{1}{%
    \pgfmathfloattoint{#1}\let\cnt\pgfmathresult%
    \pgfmathsetmacro\ret{0}%
    \foreach\i in{1,...,\cnt}{%
      \pgfmathsetmacro\ret{\ret+\i}         % summing integer itself
     %\pgfmathsetmacro\ret{\ret+square(\i)} % general case
      \xdef\ret{\ret}%
    }%
    \pgfmathparse{\ret}%
  }

---

There are two problems in your code:

• First, \foreach introduces nested grouping and \ret is trapped in the group.
• Second, since pgfplots activates FPU, the \pgfmathtruncatemacro\cnt{#1} will make \cnt be 1.
  • (This is in fact the flag of #1 in the FPU representation.)
  • (flag 1 stands for positive number.)

---

To come over the first obstacle, I usually use \xdef to smuggle the value. It is also worth noting that pgfplots introduces \pgfplotsforeachungrouped, which is literally an ungrouped version of \foreach.

For the second obstacle, one needs to check the manual carefully and finds that \pgfmathfloattoint{#1}\let\cnt\pgfmathresult is the correct way to do the job.

---

this will bring you a curve that is different from the explicit_sum, and then you will realize that #1*(#1-1)/2 is not the correct formula.