xy PLOTTING FUNCTIONS

CHAPTER LAYOUT
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. XY plotting functions Subplots and Overlay plots Special plot types Plot Editor Function Discovery Regression Basic fitting interface 3-D plots

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The grid Command

grid - displays gridlines at the tick marks corresponding to the tick labels grid on - to add gridlines grid off - to stop plotting gridlines
>>x = [0:0.1:52]; >>y = 0.4*sqrt(1.8*x); >>plot(x,y),xlabel(Distance (miles)), >>ylabel(Height (miles)), >>title(Rocket Height as a Function of Downrange Distance)

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The grid Command

grid - displays gridlines at the tick marks corresponding to the tick labels grid on - to add gridlines grid off - to stop plotting gridlines
>>x = [0:0.1:52]; >>y = 0.4*sqrt(1.8*x); >>plot(x,y),xlabel(Distance (miles)), >>ylabel(Height (miles)), >>title(Rocket Height as a Function of Downrange Distance) >> grid on

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The axis Commands

axis can be used to override the MATLAB selections for the axis limits
Basic syntax is axis([xmin xmax ymin ymax]) This command sets the scaling for the x- and y-axes to the minimum and maximum values indicated. Note that, unlike an array, this command does not use commas to separate the values. >>x = [0:0.1:52]; >>y = 0.4*sqrt(1.8*x); >>plot(x,y),xlabel(Distance (miles)), >>ylabel(Height (miles)), >>title(Rocket Height as a Function of Downrange Distance)
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The axis Commands

>>x = [0:0.1:52]; >>y = 0.4*sqrt(1.8*x); >>plot(x,y),xlabel(Distance (miles)), >>ylabel(Height (miles)), >>title(Rocket Height as a Function of Downrange Distance) >> grid on >>axis([0 52 0 5])

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The fplotCommand
fplot similar to plot. It automatically analyzes the function to be plotted and decides how many plotting points to use so that the plot will show all the features of the function. Syntax: fplot(string, [xmin xmax ymin ymax])
>>f= cos(tan(x))-tan(sin(x)); >>fplot(f,[1,2])

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The fplot command plots a function specified as a string.

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The fplotCommand
Compare with: >>x = [1:0.01:2]; >>y = cos(tan(x))-tan(sin(x)); >>plot(x,y)
Another syntax for fplot : >>[x,y] = fplot(string,limits)

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The function generated with the plot command

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Plotting Polynomials with the polyval Function

To plot the polynomial 3x5 + 2x4 100x3 + 2x2 7x + 90 over the range 6 x 6 with a spacing of 0.01, you type
>>x = [-6:0.01:6]; >>p = [3,2,-100,2,-7,90]; >>plot(x,polyval(p,x)),xlabel(x), ylabel(p)

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An example of a Figure window

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Saving Figures
To save a figure that can be opened in subsequent MATLAB sessions, save it in a figure file with the .fig file name extension.
To do this, select Save from the Figure window File menu or click the Save button (the disk icon) on the toolbar. If this is the first time you are saving the file, the Save As dialog box appears. Make sure that the type is MATLAB Figure (*.fig). Specify the name you want assigned to the figure file. Click OK.
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Exporting Figures
To save the figure in a format that can be used by another application (i.e. .TIFF or .EPS format), perform these steps. 1. Select Export Setup from the File menu. 2. Select Export from the Export Setup dialog. A standard Save As dialog appears. 3. Select the format from the list of formats in the Save As type menu. 4. Enter the name you want to give the file, less the extension. Then click Save.

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Copy a Figure
On Windows systems, you can also copy a figure to the clipboard and then paste it into another application: 1. Select Copy Options from the Edit menu. The Copying Options page of the Preferences dialog box appears. 2. Complete the fields on the Copying Options page and click OK. 3. Select Copy Figure from the Edit menu.

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Subplots
On Windows systems, you can also copy a figure to the clipboard and then paste it into another application: 1. Select Copy Options from the Edit menu. The Copying Options page of the Preferences dialog box appears. 2. Complete the fields on the Copying Options page and click OK. 3. Select Copy Figure from the Edit menu.

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Subplots You can use the subplot command to obtain several smaller subplots in the same figure. The syntax is subplot(m,n,p). This command divides the Figure window into an array of rectangular panes with m rows and n columns. The variable p tells MATLAB to place the output of the plot command following the subplot command into the pth pane. For example, subplot(3,2,5) creates an array of six panes, three panes deep and two panes across, and directs the next plot to appear in the fifth pane (in the bottom-left corner).

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The following script file created Figure 5.21, which shows the plots of the functions y = e-1.2x sin(10x + 5) for 0 x 5 and y = |x3 - 100| for -6 x 6. x = [0:0.01:5]; y = exp(-1.2*x).*sin(10*x+5); subplot(1,2,1) plot(x,y),axis([0 5 -1 1]) x = [-6:0.01:6]; y = abs(x.^3-100); subplot(1,2,2) plot(x,y),axis([-6 6 0 350])

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Application of the subplot command.

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Data Markers and Line Types To plot y versus x with a solid line and u versus v with a dashed line, type plot(x,y,u,v,--), where the symbols -- represent a dashed line. Table 5.21 gives the symbols for other line types. To plot y versus x with asterisks (*) connected with a dotted line, you must plot the data twice by typing plot(x,y,*,x,y,:).

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To plot y versus x with green asterisks (*) connected with a red dashed line, you must plot the data twice by typing plot(x,y,g*,x,y,r--).

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Data plotted using asterisks connected with a dotted line.

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Specifiers for data markers, line types, and colors.

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Data markers Dot (.) Asterisk (*) Cross () Circle ( ) Plus sign (+) Square ( ) Diamond ( ) Five-pointed star (w)
Other

Line types . * + s d p Solid line Dashed line Dash-dotted line Dotted line . .

Colors Black Blue Cyan Green Magenta Red White Yellow k b c g m r w y

data markers are available. Search for markers in MATLAB help.

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Use of data markers.

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Labeling Curves and Data The legend command automatically obtains from the plot the line type used for each data set and displays a sample of this line type in the legend box next to the string you selected. The following script file produced the plot in Figure 5.24. x = [0:0.01:2]; y = sinh(x); z = tanh(x); plot(x,y,x,z,--),xlabel(x), ... ylabel(Hyperbolic Sine and Tangent), ... legend(sinh(x),tanh(x))
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Application of the legend command

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The gtext and text commands are also useful.

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Application of the hold command.

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Hints for Improving Plots The following actions, while not required, can nevertheless improve the appearance of your plots: 1. Start scales from zero whenever possible. This technique prevents a false impression of the magnitudes of any variations shown on the plot. 2. Use sensible tick-mark spacing. If the quantities are months, choose a spacing of 12 because 1/10 of a year is not a convenient division. Space tick marks as close as is useful, but no closer. If the data is given monthly over a range of 24 months, 48 tick marks might be too dense, and also unnecessary. (continued )
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Hints for Improving Plots (continued)

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3. Minimize the number of zeros in the data being plotted. For example, use a scale in millions of dollars when appropriate, instead of a scale in dollars with six zeros after every number. 4. Determine the minimum and maximum data values for each axis before plotting the data. Then set the axis limits to cover the entire data range plus an additional amount to allow convenient tick-mark spacing to be selected. For example, if the data on the x-axis ranges from 1.2 to 9.6, a good choice for axis limits is 0 to 10. This choice allows you to use a tick spacing of 1 or 2. (continued )

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Hints for Improving Plots (continued)

5. Use a different line type for each curve when several are plotted on a single plot and they cross each other; for example, use a solid line, a dashed line, and combinations of lines and symbols. Beware of using colors to distinguish plots if you are going to make black-and-white printouts and photocopies. 6. Do not put many curves on one plot, particularly if they will be close to each other or cross one another at several points. 7. Use the same scale limits and tick spacing on each plot if you need to compare information on more than one plot.
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Why use log scales? Rectilinear scales cannot properly display variations over wide ranges.

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A log-log plot can display wide variations in data values.

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Logarithmic Plots It is important to remember the following points when using log scales: 1. You cannot plot negative numbers on a log scale, because the logarithm of a negative number is not defined as a real number. 2. You cannot plot the number 0 on a log scale, because log10 0 = ln 0 = -. You must choose an appropriately small number as the lower limit on the plot.

(continued)
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Logarithmic Plots (continued)

3. The tick-mark labels on a log scale are the actual values being plotted; they are not the logarithms of the numbers. For example, the range of x values in the plot in Figure 5.32 is from 10-1 = 0.1 to 102 = 100. 4. Gridlines and tick marks within a decade are unevenly spaced. If 8 gridlines or tick marks occur within the decade, they correspond to values equal to 2, 3, 4, . . . , 8, 9 times the value represented by the first gridline or tick mark of the decade. (continued)

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Logarithmic Plots (continued)

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5. Equal distances on a log scale correspond to multiplication by the same constant (as opposed to addition of the same constant on a rectilinear scale). For example, all numbers that differ by a factor of 10 are separated by the same distance on a log scale. That is, the distance between 0.3 and 3 is the same as the distance between 30 and 300. This separation is referred to as a decade or cycle.

The plot shown in Figure 5.32 covers three decades in x (from 0.1 to 100) and four decades in y and is thus called a four-by-three-cycle plot.
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MATLAB has three commands for generating plots having log scales. The appropriate command depends on which axis must have a log scale. 1. Use the loglog(x,y) command to have both scales logarithmic. 2. Use the semilogx(x,y) command to have the x scale logarithmic and the y scale rectilinear. 3. Use the semilogy(x,y) command to have the y scale logarithmic and the x scale rectilinear.

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Specialized plot commands.

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Command bar(x,y) plotyy(x1,y1,x2,y2)

Description Creates a bar chart of y versus x. Produces a plot with two y-axes, y1 on the left and y2 on the right.

polar(theta,r,type) Produces a polar plot from the polar coordinates theta and r, using the line type, data marker, and colors specified in the string type. stairs(x,y) stem(x,y) Produces a stairs plot of y versus x. Produces a stem plot of y versus x.

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Two data sets plotted on four types of plots.

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Application of logarithmic plots: An RC circuit.

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Frequency-response plot of a low-pass RC circuit.

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An example of controlling the tick-mark labels with the set command.

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A polar plot showing an orbit having an eccentricity of 0.5.

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Interactive Plotting in MATLAB This interface can be advantageous in situations where: You need to create a large number of different types of plots, You must construct plots involving many data sets, You want to add annotations such as rectangles and ellipses, or You want to change plot characteristics such as tick spacing, fonts, bolding, italics, and colors.

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The interactive plotting environment in MATLAB is a set of tools for: Creating different types of graphs, Selecting variables to plot directly from the Workspace Browser, Creating and editing subplots, Adding annotations such as lines, arrows, text, rectangles, and ellipses, and Editing properties of graphics objects, such as their color, line weight, and font.

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The Figure window with the Figure toolbar displayed.

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The Figure window with the Figure and Plot Edit toolbars displayed.

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The Plot Tools interface includes the following three panels associated with a given figure. The Figure Palette: Use this to create and arrange subplots, to view and plot workspace variables, and to add annotations. The Plot Browser: Use this to select and control the visibility of the axes or graphics objects plotted in the figure, and to add data for plotting. The Property Editor: Use this to set basic properties of the selected object and to obtain access to all properties through the Property Inspector.

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The Figure window with the Plot Tools activated.

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