Concepts inA simple method for generating gamma variables

Gamma distribution

In probability theory and statistics, the gamma distribution is a two-parameter family of continuous probability distributions. There are two different parameterizations in common use: With a shape parameter k and a scale parameter ¿. With a shape parameter ¿ = k and an inverse scale parameter ¿ = ¿¿, called a rate parameter. The parameterization with k and ¿ appears to be more common in econometrics and certain other applied fields, where e.g.  more from Wikipedia

Graph (mathematics)

In mathematics, a graph is an abstract representation of a set of objects where some pairs of the objects are connected by links. The interconnected objects are represented by mathematical abstractions called vertices, and the links that connect some pairs of vertices are called edges. Typically, a graph is depicted in diagrammatic form as a set of dots for the vertices, joined by lines or curves for the edges. Graphs are one of the objects of study in discrete mathematics.  more from Wikipedia

Random variate

A random variate is a particular outcome of a random variable: the random variates which are other outcomes of the same random variable would have different values. Random variates are used when simulating processes driven by random influences.  more from Wikipedia

Asterisk

An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star (as, for example, in the A* search algorithm or C*-algebra). In English, an asterisk is usually five-pointed in sans-serif typefaces, six-pointed in serif typefaces, and six- or eight-pointed when handwritten. It can be used to censor vulgar words or objectionable text.  more from Wikipedia

C preprocessor

The C preprocessor or cpp is the macro preprocessor for the C and C++ computer programming languages. The preprocessor provides the ability for the inclusion of header files, macro expansions, conditional compilation, and line control. In many C implementations, it is a separate program invoked by the compiler as the first part of translation.  more from Wikipedia

Logarithm

The logarithm of a number is the exponent by which another fixed value, the base, has to be raised to produce that number. For example, the logarithm of 1000 to base 10 is 3, because 1000 is 10 to the power 3: 1000 = 10 = 10¿×¿10¿×¿10. More generally, if x = b, then y is the logarithm of x to base b, and is written logb(x), so log10(1000) = 3. Logarithms were introduced by John Napier in the early 17th century as a means to simplify calculations.  more from Wikipedia

Uniform distribution (continuous)

In probability theory and statistics, the continuous uniform distribution or rectangular distribution is a family of probability distributions such that for each member of the family, all intervals of the same length on the distribution's support are equally probable. The support is defined by the two parameters, a and b, which are its minimum and maximum values. The distribution is often abbreviated U(a,b).  more from Wikipedia