[Tex/LaTex] How to draw this picture with LaTeX? TikZ

Question

I think I can deal with LaTeX but I really have problems to draw with it. I have some problems to handle TikZ. As an exercise I would like to draw the following picture:

Maybe anybody can tell me how I can draw this (not necessarily with the frame around it) with LaTeX? In best case a little bit bigger than this. Would be very helpful because I do not know how to do it.

Answer 1

I would go the following way:

1. Define the coordinates for the three dots (for example (0,0), (1.5,1), and (4,2)).
2. For each coordinate, draw a small filled circle, and put a node below it, with the math formula.
3. Put the final formula above the last coordinate.
4. Draw the curve. This is the most difficult part, because connecting coordinates with curved paths require to specify either control points (if drawn as bezier curves), or the incoming and outcoming angle of the curve at each intermediate coordinate. I would go for the second solution.

So, the code could be

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\coordinate (A) at (0,0);
\coordinate (B) at (1.5,1);
\coordinate (C) at (4,2);

\foreach \coor/\formula in {A/{x=\phi(0;x)},B/{y=\phi(t;x)},C/{\phi(s;x)}} {
  \fill (\coor) circle (2pt);
  \node[below right, inner xsep=-1ex] at (\coor) {$\formula$};
}
\node[above] at (C) {$\phi(t+s;x)$};
\draw (A) to[in=190] (B) to[out=10, in=220] (C);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

Note that the angles at (B) should be carefully choosen so that the curve is smooth at that point. The curve enters (B) at 190 degrees, and leaves it at 10 degrees, so that both directions are colinear.