timing.py

import os

def etime():
    """Measures user and system time this process has used.

    Returns the sum of user and system time."""
    user, sys, chuser, chsys, real = os.times()
    return user+sys

def time_func(func, n):
    """Run a function and return the elapsed time.

    func: function
    n: problem size, passed as an argument to func

    returns: user+sys time in seconds
    """
    start = etime()
    func(n)
    end = etime()
    elapsed = end - start
    return elapsed

def run_timing_test(func, start_at=10, max_time=1):
    """Tests the given function with a range of values for n.

    func: function object

    returns: list of ns and a list of run times.
    """
    ns = []
    ts = []
    for i in range(start_at, 28):
        n = 2**i
        t = time_func(func, n)
        print(n, t)
        if t > 0:
            ns.append(n)
            ts.append(t)
        if t > max_time:
            break

    return ns, ts

def fit(ns, ts, exp=1.0, index=-1):
    """Fits a curve with the given exponent.

    ns: sequence of problem sizes
    ts: sequence of times
    exp: exponent of the fitted curve
    index: index of the element the fitted line should go through

    returns: sequence of fitted times


    """
    # Use the element with the given index as a reference point,
    # and scale all other points accordingly.
    nref = ns[index]
    tref = ts[index]

    tfit = []
    for n in ns:
        ratio = n / nref
        t = ratio**exp * tref
        tfit.append(t)

    return tfit

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

def plot_timing_test(ns, ts, label='', color='C0', exp=1.0, scale='log'):
    """Plots data and a fitted curve.

    ns: sequence of n (problem size)
    ts: sequence of t (run time)
    label: string label for the data curve
    color: string color for the data curve
    exp: exponent (slope) for the fitted curve
    scale: string passed to xscale and yscale
    """
    ts_fit = fit(ns, ts, exp)
    fit_label = 'exp = %d' % exp
    plt.plot(ns, ts_fit, label=fit_label, color='0.7', linestyle='dashed')
    plt.plot(ns, ts, 'o-', label=label, color=color, alpha=0.7)
    plt.xlabel('Problem size (n)')
    plt.ylabel('Runtime (seconds)')
    plt.xscale(scale)
    plt.yscale(scale)
    plt.legend()