Start, Stop, Count Sweep Parameter Strategy

Use the Start, Stop, Count strategy with the Sweep Loop step to specify a range of values to sweep over. When the Start, Stop, Count strategy is selected for a sweep parameter, the following additional options are available:

  • Start —Specifies the first value for the sweep.
  • Stop —Specifies the final value for the sweep.
  • Count —Specifies the number of sweep points. This number must be greater than or equal to 2.
  • Distribution —Select one of the following options to specify how to distribute the sweep points:
    • Linear —Spread the sweep points evenly between Start and Stop.
    • Decade —Separate the sweep points between each decade by the specified number of points, such that the ratio of two consecutive numbers is the same.
    • Octave —Separate the sweep points between each octave by the specified number of points, such that the ratio of two consecutive numbers is the same.
    • Geometric Progression —Spread the sweep points logarithmically between Start and Stop.

The table below displays examples of sweep settings.

Start Stop Count Distribution Sweep Parameter Values
1 5 5 Linear 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
0 100 6 Linear 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100
5 1 5 Linear 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
1 1000 2 Decade 1, 3.162277660168, 10, 31.62277660168, 100, 316.2277660168, 1000
1 16 2 Octave 1, 1.414213562373, 2, 2.828427124746, 4, 5.656854249492, 8, 11.31370849898, 16
1 1000 4 Geometric Progression 1, 10, 100, 1000
1000 1 4 Geometric Progression 1000, 100, 10, 1

Sweep parameter values may have any numeric representation. The representation in the Type column defines the representation for the sweep. The Stop option must have the same representation as Start.

The number of points may be specified using any representation. Its value must be a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. If the value is represented using as a 64-bit unsigned integer, the value must be less than or equal to 2 64 - 2.
Note The maximum value of a 2 64 - 1 is reserved for internal use.

If represented using the default (64-bit floating point) representation, the value must be less than or equal to 2 53 . This is the largest positive integer such that it and all smaller positive integers can be represented exactly.