max_by

Returns the object in enum that gives the maximum value from the given block.

If no block is given, an enumerator is returned instead.

a = %w(albatross dog horse)
a.max_by { |x| x.length }   #=> "albatross"

If the n argument is given, maximum n elements are returned as an array. These n elements are sorted by the value from the given block, in descending order.

a = %w[albatross dog horse]
a.max_by(2) {|x| x.length } #=> ["albatross", "horse"]

enum.max_by(n) can be used to implement weighted random sampling. Following example implements and use Enumerable#wsample.

module Enumerable
  # weighted random sampling.
  #
  # Pavlos S. Efraimidis, Paul G. Spirakis
  # Weighted random sampling with a reservoir
  # Information Processing Letters
  # Volume 97, Issue 5 (16 March 2006)
  def wsample(n)
    self.max_by(n) {|v| rand ** (1.0/yield(v)) }
  end
end
e = (-20..20).to_a*10000
a = e.wsample(20000) {|x|
  Math.exp(-(x/5.0)**2) # normal distribution
}
# a is 20000 samples from e.
p a.length #=> 20000
h = a.group_by {|x| x }
-10.upto(10) {|x| puts "*" * (h[x].length/30.0).to_i if h[x] }
#=> *
#   ***
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#   ********************************************************************
#   ***********************************************************************
#   ***********************************************************************
#   **************************************************************
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#   ***************************
#   ******************
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#   ***
#   *