# TRIMA > Triangular Moving Average — a simple moving average applied twice, which > triangular-weights the window so the middle bars carry the most weight. ## Quick reference | Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Family | Trend | | Sub-category | Simple averages | | Input type | `f64` (single close) | | Output type | `f64` | | Output range | unbounded; tracks the input price scale | | Default parameters | `period` is required (no default in either binding) | | Warmup period | `period` | | Interpretation | Very smooth price level; the triangular weighting suppresses edge bars. | ## Formula `TRIMA(n)` is `SMA` stacked on `SMA`. For period `n` the two lengths are: ``` odd n: n1 = n2 = (n + 1) / 2 even n: n1 = n / 2, n2 = n / 2 + 1 TRIMA_t = SMA_{n2}( SMA_{n1}(price) )_t ``` Composing two equal-weight means convolves two rectangular windows, which yields a triangular weight profile over the original `n` closes — the centre bar gets the largest weight, the two edges the smallest. Both stacked SMAs are O(1), so `update` is O(1) regardless of `period`. ## Parameters | Name | Type | Default | Valid range | Description | |----------|---------|---------|-------------|-------------| | `period` | `usize` | none | `>= 1` | Window length. `period = 0` errors with `Error::PeriodZero`. `period = 1` and `period = 2` degenerate to short SMAs. | There is no Python `#[pyo3(signature = …)]` default for `TRIMA`, so `wickra.TRIMA(period)` requires the period explicitly. ## Inputs / Outputs From `crates/wickra-core/src/indicators/trima.rs`: ```rust impl Indicator for Trima { type Input = f64; type Output = f64; // update(&mut self, input: f64) -> Option } ``` A single `f64` close in, an `Option` out. Python maps this to `float | None` / `numpy.ndarray` (NaN warmup); Node to `number | null` / `Array` (NaN warmup). ## Warmup `Trima::new(period).warmup_period() == period`. The inner SMA emits after `n1` inputs; the outer SMA then needs `n2 − 1` more, and `n1 + n2 − 1 = n` for both the odd and even splits. So the first non-`None` output lands on exactly the `period`-th `update()`. ## Edge cases - **Constant series.** `[42.0; n]` returns `Some(42.0)` from input `period` onward — both SMAs are exact for constants (`constant_series_yields_the_constant` pins this). - **NaN / infinity inputs.** `update` returns `self.outer.value()` for a non-finite input *without* feeding either SMA, so the inner SMA's stale value is never double-counted into the outer SMA. State is left untouched. - **Reset.** `trima.reset()` resets both inner and outer SMAs, restarting the warmup countdown. ## Examples ### Rust ```rust use wickra::{BatchExt, Indicator, Trima}; fn main() -> Result<(), Box> { let mut trima = Trima::new(5)?; let out: Vec> = trima.batch(&[1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0]); println!("{:?}", out); println!("warmup_period = {}", trima.warmup_period()); Ok(()) } ``` Output: ``` [None, None, None, None, Some(3.0), Some(4.0), Some(5.0)] warmup_period = 5 ``` `TRIMA(5)` is `SMA(3)` of `SMA(3)`. `SMA(3)` of `1..=7` is `[_, _, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]`; `SMA(3)` of that is `[_, _, _, _, 3, 4, 5]`. This matches the `odd_period_reference_values` test in `crates/wickra-core/src/indicators/trima.rs`. ### Python ```python import numpy as np import wickra as ta trima = ta.TRIMA(5) print(trima.batch(np.array([1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0]))) print("warmup_period =", trima.warmup_period()) ``` Output: ``` [nan nan nan nan 3. 4. 5.] warmup_period = 5 ``` ### Node ```javascript const ta = require('wickra'); const trima = new ta.TRIMA(5); console.log(trima.batch([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7])); console.log('warmupPeriod:', trima.warmupPeriod()); ``` Output: ``` [ NaN, NaN, NaN, NaN, 3, 4, 5 ] warmupPeriod: 5 ``` ## Interpretation `Trima` is one of the smoothest single-line averages in the library: the triangular weight profile damps the most recent bar far more than a plain `Sma` does, so whipsaws are rare. The cost is lag — a `Trima(n)` lags roughly like an `Sma(n/2)` doubled. Use it as a slow trend filter where a clean, low-noise line matters more than fast reaction; prefer [`Ema`](Indicator-Ema.md) or [`Hma`](Indicator-Hma.md) when responsiveness matters. ## Common pitfalls - **Expecting `Sma`-like lag.** Stacking two means roughly doubles the effective lag; size the period accordingly. - **Treating `period = 0` as "use a default".** `Trima::new(0)` returns `Err(Error::PeriodZero)` in Rust and a `ValueError` in Python. ## References The triangular moving average is a standard double-smoothed SMA; the odd/even split used here (`n1`, `n2`) matches TA-Lib's `TRIMA`. ## See also - [Indicator-Sma.md](Indicator-Sma.md) — the building block applied twice. - [Indicator-Wma.md](Indicator-Wma.md) — linear (not triangular) weights. - [Indicator-Smma.md](Indicator-Smma.md) — the other F1 average. - [Indicators-Overview.md](../../Indicators-Overview.md) — the full taxonomy.