---

permalink: python/random_walk/

description: Learn how to use Python to make a Random Walk

name: Random Walk | plotly

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thumbnail: /images/static-image

layout: user-guide

name: Random Walk

language: python

title: Random Walk in Python | plotly

display_as: statistics

has_thumbnail: false

page_type: example_index

order: 1

---

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<h4 id="New-to-Plotly?">New to Plotly?<a class="anchor-link" href="#New-to-Plotly?">&#182;</a></h4><p>Plotly's Python library is free and open source! <a href="https://plot.ly/python/getting-started/">Get started</a> by dowloading the client and <a href="https://plot.ly/python/getting-started/">reading the primer</a>.

<br>You can set up Plotly to work in <a href="https://plot.ly/python/getting-started/#initialization-for-online-plotting">online</a> or <a href="https://plot.ly/python/getting-started/#initialization-for-offline-plotting">offline</a> mode, or in <a href="https://plot.ly/python/getting-started/#start-plotting-online">jupyter notebooks</a>.

<br>We also have a quick-reference <a href="https://images.plot.ly/plotly-documentation/images/python_cheat_sheet.pdf">cheatsheet</a> (new!) to help you get started!</p>

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<h4 id="Imports">Imports<a class="anchor-link" href="#Imports">&#182;</a></h4><p>The tutorial below imports <a href="http://www.numpy.org/">numpy</a>, <a href="https://plot.ly/pandas/intro-to-pandas-tutorial/">pandas</a>, and <a href="https://www.scipy.org/">scipy</a></p>

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<div class=" highlight hl-ipython2"><pre><span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">plotly.plotly</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">py</span>

<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">plotly.tools</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">FigureFactory</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">FF</span>

<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">plotly.graph_objs</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">go</span>

<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">numpy</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">np</span>

<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">pandas</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">pd</span>

<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">scipy</span>

<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">random</span>

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<h4 id="Random-Walk">Random Walk<a class="anchor-link" href="#Random-Walk">&#182;</a></h4>

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<div class=" highlight hl-ipython2"><pre><span class="n">x</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">]</span>

<span class="n">y</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">]</span>

<span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">j</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="nb">range</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">100</span><span class="p">):</span>

<span class="n">step_x</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">random</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">randint</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">step_x</span> <span class="o">==</span> <span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">:</span>

<span class="n">x</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">append</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">x</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="n">j</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="o">+</span><span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>

<span class="n">x</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">append</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">x</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="n">j</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="n">step_y</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">random</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">randint</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">step_y</span> <span class="o">==</span> <span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">:</span>

<span class="n">y</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">append</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">y</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="n">j</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="o">+</span><span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>

<span class="n">y</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">append</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">y</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="n">j</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="n">trace1</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">go</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">Scatter</span><span class="p">(</span>

<span class="n">x</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">x</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">y</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">y</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">mode</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;markers&#39;</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">name</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;Random Walk&#39;</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">marker</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="nb">dict</span><span class="p">(</span>

<span class="n">color</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="n">i</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">i</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="nb">range</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="nb">len</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">x</span><span class="p">))],</span>

<span class="n">size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">12</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">colorscale</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;Greens&#39;</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">showscale</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span>

<span class="p">)</span>

<span class="p">)</span>

<span class="n">data</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[</span><span class="n">trace1</span><span class="p">]</span>

<span class="n">py</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">iplot</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">data</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">filename</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;random-walk&#39;</span><span class="p">)</span>

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