Advanced Plot Types in Matplotlib

1. Scatter Plots: A scatter plot is a two-dimensional data visualization that

uses individual data points to represent values for two different variables.
Each point on the plot corresponds to a single observation in the dataset,
with the x and y coordinates indicating the values of the two variables.
a. Key Features:

• Markers: Points on the plot representing individual data observations.

• Axes: The x and y axes represent the variables being compared.

• Patterns: Patterns or trends in the scatter plot may reveal relationships

or correlations between the variables.

b. Creating and Customizing Scatter Plots: Scatter plots are effective

for visualizing the relationship between two continuous variables.

Example Code:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

# Generate random data

np.random.seed(42)
x = np.random.rand(50)
y = 2 * x + 1 + 0.1 * np.random.randn(50)

# Create a scatter plot

plt.scatter(x, y, color='red', marker='o',
label='Scatter Plot')

# Add title and labels

plt.title('Scatter Plot Example')
plt.xlabel('X-axis Label')
plt.ylabel('Y-axis Label')

# Show the plot

plt.legend()

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 Output

This code generates a scatter plot

using randomly generated data
points (x and y) and demonstrates
how to customize the appearance
of the plot using Matplotlib
functions. The resulting plot will
have red circular markers, a title,
and labeled axes. The legend will
indicate that the plot represents a
scatter plot.

Import Libraries:
• matplotlib.pyplot: This imports the pyplot module from the
Matplotlib library in Python.
• NumPy: It is used for numerical operations and generating random
data.
Generate Random Data:
• np.random.seed(42): Sets the random seed to ensure
reproducibility of the random data.
• x = np.random.rand(50): Generates an array of 50 random values
between 0 and 1.
• y = 2 * x + 1 + 0.1 * np.random.randn(50): Creates a corresponding
array 'y' using a linear relationship with some random noise.

Create a Scatter Plot:

plt.scatter(x, y, color='red', marker='o',
label='Scatter Plot')
• plt.scatter(): Creates a scatter plot with x as the x-axis values, y as
the y-axis values.
• color='red': Sets the color of the markers to red.
• marker='o': Specifies that circular markers ('o') should be used.
• label='Scatter Plot': Adds a label to the scatter plot for later use in
the legend.

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 Add Title and Labels:

• plt.title(): Sets the title of the plot.

• plt.xlabel(): Sets the label for the x-axis.
• plt.ylabel(): Sets the label for the y-axis.

Display the plots:

• plt.legend(): Displays the legend using the label provided in the

scatter plot.
• plt.show(): Displays the entire plot.

Let us now understand what histograms are and how to make them.

2. Histograms: A histogram is a graphical representation of the

distribution of a dataset. It is a way to visualize the underlying frequency
distribution of continuous data.
a. Key Features:
• Bins: The range of values is divided into intervals, or "bins," and the
number of data points falling into each bin is represented by the
height of a bar.
• Frequency: The height of each bar indicates the frequency of data
points within a specific bin.
b. Creating Histograms

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

# Generate random data

np.random.seed(42)
data = np.random.randn(1000)

# Create a histogram
plt.hist(data, bins=30, color='blue', alpha=0.7)
plt.title('Histogram Example')
plt.xlabel('Values')
plt.ylabel('Frequency')
plt.show()

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Output

This code generates a histogram to

visualize the distribution of random
data. The histogram represents the
frequency (or count) of values in
different bins, providing insight into
the shape of the data distribution.
The plot has a title, and the x-axis
and y-axis are labelled for clarity.

Import Libraries:
• matplotlib.pyplot: This imports the pyplot module from the
Matplotlib library in Python.
• NumPy: It is used for numerical operations and generating
random data.

Generate Random Data:

• np.random.seed(42): This sets the random seed for
reproducibility. It ensures that if you run the code again, you will
get the same random numbers.
• np.random.randn(1000): This generates an array of 1000 random
numbers from a standard normal distribution (mean=0, standard
deviation=1).

Create a Histogram:
plt.hist(data, bins=30, color='blue', alpha=0.7)

• plt.hist: This function is used to create a histogram.

• data: The array of random data to be plotted.
• bins=30: This specifies the number of bins (intervals) in the
histogram. In this case, there are 30 bins.
• color='blue': This sets the color of the bars in the histogram to blue.
• alpha=0.7: This controls the transparency of the bars, where 0 is
fully transparent and 1 is fully opaque. Here, it's set to 0.7.

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 Add Title and Labels:

plt.title('Histogram Example')
plt.xlabel('Values')
plt.ylabel('Frequency')

• plt.title: Adds a title to the plot.

• plt.xlabel: Adds a label to the x-axis.
• plt.ylabel: Adds a label to the y-axis.

Display the Plot:

plt.show() function is used to display the histogram.

Now let’s learn to create density plots.

3. Density Plots: A density plot is a smoothed, continuous representation of

a dataset's distribution. It is often used to estimate the probability
density function of the underlying population.
a. Key Features:
Kernel Density Estimation (KDE): The density plot is created by
smoothing the histogram using a kernel function, providing a
continuous estimate of the distribution.
b. Creating density plots to show the probability density of a dataset:

plt.hist(data, bins=30, color='blue', alpha=0.7)

Output

This code creates a density

plot using Matplotlib with a
histogram and a kernel
density estimate (KDE)
overlaid on top of it.

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The Python code can be explained as follows:
Generate Example Data:
The code generates a random dataset of 1000 points drawn from a
standard normal distribution (mean = 0, standard deviation = 1).
Histogram:

plt.hist(data, bins=30, density=True, alpha=0.7,

color='skyblue', edgecolor='black')

This line generates a histogram using plt.hist(). The density=True

argument normalizes the histogram to represent a probability density. The
bins parameter controls the number of bins in the histogram. The alpha,
color, and edgecolor parameters are used for visual customization.

Kernel Density Estimate (KDE):

xmin, xmax = plt.xlim()

x = np.linspace(xmin, xmax, 100)
kde = (1 / (data.std() * np.sqrt(2 * np.pi))) *
np.exp(-0.5 * ((x - data.mean()) / data.std())**2)
plt.plot(x, kde, linewidth=2, color='darkred')

This part manually adds a kernel density estimate (KDE) to the plot. It
calculates a Gaussian KDE using a set of points (x) and then plots the
KDE on top of the histogram.

Labels and Title:

plt.title('Density Plot of the Data')

plt.xlabel('X-axis label')
plt.ylabel('Density')

These lines add a title and axis labels to the plot for better understanding.

The combination of the histogram and the KDE provides a visualization

of the probability density of the dataset. The histogram represents the
distribution of the data, while the KDE smooths out the distribution to
give a more continuous estimate of the underlying probability density
function.

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4. Box Plots: A box plot (also known as a whisker plot) is a graphical
representation of the distribution of a dataset. It provides a summary of
the central tendency, spread, and shape of the distribution. Box plots are
particularly useful for comparing distributions across different
categories or groups.
a. Key Features:
• Box: It depicts the interquartile range (IQR), the span from the
first quartile (Q1) to the third quartile (Q3), showcasing the middle
50% of the data.
• Whiskers: They stretch from the box to the minimum and
maximum values within a specified range, typically 1.5 times the
interquartile range. Data beyond the whiskers are outliers, often
shown individually.
• Median Line: Inside the box, a line denotes the dataset's median.
• Outliers: Data points beyond the whiskers are outliers and are
usually plotted separately.
b. Constructing Box Plots: Box plots are excellent for visualizing the
distribution of a dataset and identifying outliers. Here's an example:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Generate some example data

np.random.seed(42)
data = np.random.randn(1000)

# Create a density plot using Matplotlib

plt.hist(data, bins=30, density=True, alpha=0.7,
color='skyblue', edgecolor='black')

# Add a kernel density estimate (KDE) using Gaussian

kernel
xmin, xmax = plt.xlim()
x = np.linspace(xmin, xmax, 100)
kde = (1 / (data.std() * np.sqrt(2 * np.pi))) * np.exp(-
0.5 * ((x - data.mean()) / data.std())**2)
plt.plot(x, kde, linewidth=2, color='darkred')

# Add labels and title

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plt.title('Density Plot of the Data')
plt.xlabel('X-axis label')
plt.ylabel('Density')

# Display the plot

plt.show()

Output:

This code generates a box plot with

three categories of random data, each
with a different standard deviation.
The resulting plot provides a visual
representation of the distribution of
each dataset, including key statistics
such as the median, quartiles, and
potential outliers. The
patch_artist=True option adds
colours to the boxes for better
visualization.

Generating Random Data:

np.random.seed(42)
data = [np.random.normal(0, std, 100) for std in
range(1, 4)]
These lines are setting random seed for reproducibility and
generating three sets of random data with increasing standard
deviations (1, 2, and 3).

Creating box plot

plt.boxplot(data, vert=True, patch_artist=True)

boxplot function is used to create a box plot. The data variable

contains the random datasets, vert=True specifies a vertical
orientation, and patch_artist=True fills the boxes with colors.

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