# Conditional multivariate sampling
**URL:** https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393
**Category:** Questions
**Created:** [June 20, 2018, 9:52am UTC](https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393 "2018-06-20T09:52:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@maximelecactus](https://discourse.pymc.io/u/maximelecactus)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2018, 9:52am UTC](https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393/1 "2018-06-20T09:52:05Z")
Hello,
I fitted a multivariate normal distribution over a rhee dimension matrix of random variables using the following code:
```
model = pm.Model()
shape = x.shape[1] # shape of x is [N, 3]
with model:
packed_L = pm.LKJCholeskyCov('packed_L', n=shape,
eta=2., sd_dist=pm.HalfCauchy.dist(2.5))
L = pm.expand_packed_triangular(shape, packed_L)
Σ = pm.Deterministic('Σ', L.dot(L.T))
μ = pm.Normal('μ', 0., 10., shape=shape)
obs = pm.MvNormal('obs', mu=μ, chol=L, observed=x)
trace_ = pm.sample(5000, cores=1)
```
I would like to fix one variable of the distribution to a scalar value and have the resulting conditional distribution of the two remaining variables. How can that be achieved?
Thank you very much for your help.
Maxime.
---
### Author:  [@junpenglao](https://discourse.pymc.io/u/junpenglao)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2018, 10:27am UTC](https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393/2 "2018-06-20T10:27:33Z")
> [@maximelecactus](#):
>
> I would like to fix one variable of the distribution to a scalar value and have the resulting conditional distribution of the two remaining variables.
You mean like fixing μ[0] = scalar with the observed being the same `observed=x`? or you would like to marginalized the MvNormal to have the `observed=x[:, 1:]`?
---
### Author:  [@maximelecactus](https://discourse.pymc.io/u/maximelecactus)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393/3 "2018-06-20T11:24:34Z")
Thank you for your answer.
Let’s say that X1 is a random variable describing a person’s age, X2 is the annual revenue and X3 represents this person’s number of children.
The objective of the first code snippet was to model these variables with a multivariate normal distribution. Now, I would like to have the normal multivariate distribution of say X1 and X2 given that X3=3 children. Would that be possible ?
`x = [X1, X2, X3]`
Thank you in advance,
Maxime.
---
### Author:  [@junpenglao](https://discourse.pymc.io/u/junpenglao)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2018, 11:44am UTC](https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393/4 "2018-06-20T11:44:55Z")
Since [X1, X2, X3] are some observed quantities, I would either model `x_tilt = [X1[X3==3], X2[X3==3]]` and find the posterior of `x_tilt`; or model `X = [X1, X2, X3]` directly and find the posterior of `X`, then compute the conditional of this posterior when `X3==3`.
The later cases you can use the code you have, and use `sample_ppc` after inference to generate large among of ppc samples, and plot the conditional:
```python
index = (ppc['obs'][:, 2] > 2.99) or (ppc['obs'][:, 2] < 3.01)
scatter(ppc['obs'][index, 0], ppc['obs'][index, 1])
```
---
### Author:  [@maximelecactus](https://discourse.pymc.io/u/maximelecactus)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2018, 11:55am UTC](https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393/5 "2018-06-20T11:55:04Z")
As X3 represents a continuous variable in my model, I will use the second method.
Thank you for your help.
Maxime.
---
### Author:  [@junpenglao](https://discourse.pymc.io/u/junpenglao)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2018, 12:00pm UTC](https://discourse.pymc.io/t/conditional-multivariate-sampling/1393/6 "2018-06-20T12:00:12Z")
FYI, using the second approach you can also compute the posterior conditional using the posterior sample `mu` and `cov` of the MvNormal from the trace: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multivariate\_normal\_distribution#Conditional\_distributions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multivariate_normal_distribution#Conditional_distributions)