[TUT] math methods

[Shady1]

Hello my name is : Shady,I will show you some examples and tutorials that can be done with the math method.

Lua provides a set of built-in math functions that can be used to perform various mathematical operations. Here are some of the most commonly used functions:

• math.abs(x)

This function returns the absolute value of a given number x.

Example cd: 

local x = -10
local abs_x = math.abs(x)
-- abs_x is 10

 

• math.ceil(x)

This function rounds up a given number x to the nearest integer.

Example cd:

local x = 3.5
local ceil_x = math.ceil(x)
-- ceil_x is 4

 

• math.floor(x)

This function rounds down a given number x to the nearest integer.

Example cd:
 

local x = 3.5
local floor_x = math.floor(x)
-- floor_x is 3

 

• math.max(x1, x2, ...)

This function returns the maximum value among the given numbers.

Example cd:
 

local max_value = math.max(10, 20, 30)
-- max_value is 30

 

• math.min(x1,x2, ...)

This function returns the minimum value among the given numbers.

Example cd:
 

local min_value = math.min(10, 20, 30)
-- min_value is 10

 

• math.random([m [, n]])
   

This function returns a random number between m and n. If m and n are not provided, it returns a random number between 0 and 1.

Example cd:
 

local random_value = math.random(1, 100)
-- random_value is a random number between 1 and 100

 

• math.sqrt(x)

This function returns the square root of a given number x.

Example cd:
 

local x = 16
local sqrt_x = math.sqrt(x)
-- sqrt_x is 4

In Lua, math.huge is a special value that represents positive infinity. It is often used in mathematical calculations where a number needs to be compared or used as a placeholder for a very large number.

For example, let's say you want to find the maximum value in an array of numbers. You could start by initializing a variable max to -math.huge, which is the smallest possible number in Lua. Then you could loop through the array and compare each element to max, updating max if the element is larger. By starting with -math.huge, you can be sure that the first element in the array will always be larger than max, allowing you to update max with the first element.

Here's an example code snippet that demonstrates the use of math.huge:

local numbers = {5, 10, 2, 7, 15}
local max = -math.huge

for _, number in ipairs(numbers) do
    if number > max then
        max = number
    end
end

print("The maximum value is:", max)

 

In this code, we start by defining an array of numbers. Then we initialize max to -math.huge before looping through the array using ipairs. For each number in the array, we check if it is greater than the current value of max. If it is, we update max with the new value. Finally, we print out the maximum value.

---

Here are some examples of how these functions can be used in MTA scripts:

Example 1: Calculating the distance between two points.
getDistanceBetweenPoints2D
 

function getDistanceBetweenPoints2D(x1, y1, x2, y2)
    local dx = x2 - x1
    local dy = y2 - y1
    return math.sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy)
end

local distance = getDistanceBetweenPoints2D(10, 20, 30, 40)
-- distance is the distance between the two points (10,20) and (30,40)

Example 2: Generating a random number
outputChatBox

local random_value = math.random(1, 100)
outputChatBox("The random number is: " .. random_value)

---

Here I will show you 5 script sample codes with MTA Lua math function. In this direction, you can find some methods and information on how to create scripts with the math function.

1-) Generating Random Colors:
string-methods

function generateRandomColor()
    -- Generate random numbers from 0 to 255
    local r = math.random(0, 255)
    local g = math.random(0, 255)
    local b = math.random(0, 255)
    
    -- return color code
    return string.format("#%02X%02X%02X", r, g, b)
end

2-) Calculating the Distance Between Players:
getElementPosition
getDistanceBetweenPoints3D

function getPlayerDistance(player1, player2)
    -- get the positions of the players
    local x1, y1, z1 = getElementPosition(player1)
    local x2, y2, z2 = getElementPosition(player2)
    
    -- calculate the distance
    local distance = getDistanceBetweenPoints3D(x1, y1, z1, x2, y2, z2)
    
    -- return the distance
    return distance
end

3-) Calculating Vehicle Speed:
getElementVelocity

function getVehicleSpeed(vehicle)
    -- get the speed of the vehicle
    local speedX, speedY, speedZ = getElementVelocity(vehicle)
    
    -- Calculate the magnitude of the velocity vector
    local speed = math.sqrt(speedX^2 + speedY^2 + speedZ^2)
    
    -- return speed
    return speed
end

4-) Showing Player's Health in Percentage:
getElementHealth

function getPlayerHealthPercentage(player)
    -- get player's health value
    local health = getElementHealth(player)
    
    -- Calculate percentage of health value
    local healthPercent = math.floor((health / 100) * 100)
    
    -- return health percentage
    return healthPercent
end

5-) Calculating the Two-Dimensional Distance of Players:
getElementPosition

function getPlayer2DDistance(player1, player2)
    -- get the positions of the players
    local x1, y1, _ = getElementPosition(player1)
    local x2, y2, _ = getElementPosition(player2)
    
    -- calculate the distance
    local distance = math.sqrt((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2)
    
    -- return the distance
    return distance
end

As you can see, here are 5 script examples with the MTA Lua math function

---

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Shady1
updated title per OP's request

[on3pixel]

well done mate

Edited May 12, 2023 by tasty

[FernandoMTA]

what about this? @Shady1
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18313171/lua-rounding-numbers-and-then-truncat

[Shady1]

11 minutes ago, FernandoMTA said:

what about this? @Shady1
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18313171/lua-rounding-numbers-and-then-truncat

yes actually we can use some math methods in this, here I will show an example
 

-- The function rounds up a number and then truncates the decimal places.
function roundUpAndTruncate(number)
    -- Round number up
    local roundedNumber = math.ceil(number)
    
    -- The whole number (before truncating the decimal places)
    local integerPart = math.floor(roundedNumber)
    
    return integerPart
end

-- For example
local number1 = 232.98266601563
local number2 = 232.49445450000
local number3 = 232.50000000000

local result1 = roundUpAndTruncate(number1)
local result2 = roundUpAndTruncate(number2)
local result3 = roundUpAndTruncate(number3)

print("Case 1 - Result: " .. result1)
print("Case 2 - Result: " .. result2)
print("Case 3 - Result: " .. result3)

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by Shady1

[Shady1]

..

Edited October 14, 2023 by Shady1