Advanced Plotting

Nomenclature for a typical xy plot. Figure 5.1–1, page 220

5-2
 An Example: The following MATLAB session plots y
04 18x for 0 x 52, where y represents the
height of a rocket after launch, in miles, and x is
the horizontal (downrange) distance in miles.

>>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’)

The resulting plot is shown on the next slide.

5-3
The autoscaling feature in MATLAB selects tick-mark
spacing.

5-4
 The plot will appear in the Figure window. You can
obtain a hard copy of the plot in several ways:

1. Use the menu system. Select Print on the File

menu in the Figure window. Answer OK when you
are prompted to continue the printing process.
2. Type print at the command line. This command
sends the current plot directly to the printer.
3. Save the plot to a file to be printed later or
imported into another application such as a word
processor. You need to know something about
graphics file formats to use this file properly. See
the subsection Exporting Figures (page 225).

5-5
 When you have finished with the plot, close the
figure window by selecting Close from the File
menu in the figure window.

Note that using the Alt-Tab key combination in

Windows-based systems will return you to the
Command window without closing the figure
window.

If you do not close the window, it will not reappear

when a new plot command is executed.
However, the figure will still be updated.

5-6
 Requirements for a Correct Plot
(Table 5.1-1, page 221)

The following list describes the essential features of any

plot:
1. Each axis must be labeled with the name of the
quantity being plotted and its units! If two or more
quantities having different units are plotted (such as
when plotting both speed and distance versus time),
indicate the units in the axis label if there is room, or in
the legend or labels for each curve.
2. Each axis should have regularly spaced tick marks at
convenient intervals—not too sparse, but not too dense
—with a spacing that is easy to interpret and
interpolate. For example, use 0.1, 0.2, and so on,
rather than 0.13, 0.26, and so on.
5-7
(continued …)
 Requirements for a Correct Plot (continued)

3. If you are plotting more than one curve or data set,

label each on its plot or use a legend to distinguish
them.
4. If you are preparing multiple plots of a similar type or
if the axes’ labels cannot convey enough information,
use a title.
5. If you are plotting measured data, plot each data
point with a symbol such as a circle, square, or cross
(use the same symbol for every point in the same
data set). If there are many data points, plot them
using the dot symbol.

(continued …)
5-8
 Requirements for a Correct Plot (continued)

6. Sometimes data symbols are connected by lines to

help the viewer visualize the data, especially if there
are few data points. However, connecting the data
points, especially with a solid line, might be
interpreted to imply knowledge of what occurs
between the data points. Thus you should be careful
to prevent such misinterpretation.
7. If you are plotting points generated by evaluating a
function (as opposed to measured data), do not use
a symbol to plot the points. Instead, be sure to
generate many points, and connect the points with
solid lines.

5-9
 The grid and axis Commands

The grid command displays gridlines at the tick marks

corresponding to the tick labels. Type grid on to add
gridlines; type grid off to stop plotting gridlines. When
used by itself, grid toggles this feature on or off, but
you might want to use grid on and grid off to be
sure.

You can use the axis command to override the

MATLAB selections for the axis limits. The 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.
5-10
More? See page 222.
 Example of a Figure window. Figure 5.1–2

5-11
The fplot command is a “smart” plotting function. Figure 5.1–3a
See pages 223-224.

5-12
The function in Figure 5.1–3b generated with the plot
command, which gives more control than the fplot
command.

5-13
 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’)

5-14
 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.

5-15
 Exporting Figures

To save the figure in a format that can be used by

another application, such as the standard graphics file
formats TIFF or EPS, perform these steps.
1. Select Export Setup from the File menu. This dialog
lets you specify options for the output file, such as the
figure size, fonts, line size and style, and output format.
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. This selects the format of the exported
file and adds the standard file name extension given to
files of that type.
4. Enter the name you want to give the file, less the
extension. Then click Save.
5-16 More? See pages 225-226.
 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.

5-17
 Hints for Improving Plots (Table 5.1-3, page 226)

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 …)
5-18
 Hints for Improving Plots (continued)
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 …)
5-19
 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.

5-20
 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).

5-21
 The following script file created Figure 5.2–1, 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])

The figure is shown

on the next slide.
5-22
Application of the subplot command. Figure 5.2–1

5-23
 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 5.2–1 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,’:’).

5-24
 Overlay Plots
You can use the following variants of the MATLAB
basic plotting functions plot(x,y) and plot(y) to create
overlay plots:
■ plot(A) plots the columns of A versus their indices
and generates n curves, where A is a matrix with m
rows and n columns.
■ plot(x,A) plots the matrix A versus the vector x,
where x is either a row vector or a column vector and A
is a matrix with m rows and n columns.
If the length of x is m, then each column of A is plotted
versus the vector x. There will be as many curves as
there are columns of A. If x has length n, then each
row of A is plotted versus the vector x. There will be as
many curves as there are rows of A.

5-24
 ■ plot(A,x) plots the vector x versus the matrix A. If the
length of x is m, then x is plotted versus the columns of
A. There will be as many curves as there are columns
of A. If the length of x is n, then x is plotted versus the
rows of A. There will be as many curves as there are
rows of A.
■ plot(A,B) plots the columns of the matrix B versus the
columns of the matrix A.

5-24
 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--’).

5-25
Specifiers for data markers, line types, and colors.
Table 5.2–1, page 228.
Data markers† Line types Colors

Dot (.) . Solid line –– Black k

Asterisk (*) * Dashed line –– Blue b
Cross ()  Dash-dotted line –. Cyan c
Circle () Dotted line …. Green g
Plus sign ()  Magenta m
Square ( ) s Red r
Diamond ( ) d White w
Five-pointed star (w) p Yellow y

Other data markers are available. Search for “markers” in MATLAB help.
†

5-26
Use of data markers. Figure 5.2–2, page 229.

More?
See
pages
273-274.

5-27
 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 5.2–3 (see
next slide).

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)’)
5-28
Application of the legend command. Figure 5.2–3, page 230

5-29
Application of the hold command. Figure 5.2–4, page 231

5-30
Why use log scales? Rectilinear scales cannot properly
display variations over wide ranges. Figure 5.2-5a, page
233.

5-31
A log-log plot can display wide variations in data values.
Figure 5.2-5b, page 233.

See
pages
233-
234.

5-32
 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…)
5-33
 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 5.3–2 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…)
5-34
 Logarithmic Plots (continued)

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 5.3–2 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.

5-35
 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.

5-36
Specialized plot commands. Table 5.2-3, page 236

Command Description

bar(x,y) Creates a bar chart of y versus x.

plotyy(x1,y1,x2,y2) 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) Produces a stairs plot of y versus x.

stem(x,y) Produces a stem plot of y versus x.

5-37
 Exponential and Power Functions Plotted on
Log Scales (Figure 5.2-6, page 235)

5-38 The program is on pages 234-235.

A polar plot showing an orbit having an eccentricity of 0.5.
Figure 5.2–7, page 237.

See pages
236-237.

5-39
 Error Plots, Figure 5.2-8, page 238.

5-40 The code is on page 238.

 Publishing Reports Containing Graphics
See Pages 238-240.

5-41
 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.

For details, see pages 241-246.

5-42
 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.

5-43
The Figure toolbar displayed. Figure 5.3–1, page 241.

5-44
The Figure and Plot Edit toolbars displayed. Figure 5.3–2,
page 243.

5-45
 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.

5-46
 The Figure window with the Plot Tools
activated. Figure 5.3-3, page 244.

5-47
 Three-Dimensional Line Plots:

The following program uses the plot3 function to

generate the spiral curve shown in Figure 5.4–1, page
247.

>>t = 0:pi/50:10*pi;
>>plot3(exp(-0.05*t).*sin(t),...
exp(-0.05*t).*cos(t),t),...
xlabel(’x’),ylabel(’y’),zlabel(’z’),grid

See the next slide.

5-48
The curve x e0.05t sin t, y e0.05t cos t, z t plotted with the
plot3 function. Figure 5.4–1, page 247.

5-49
 Surface Plots:
The following session shows how to generate the
surface plot of the function z xe[(xy2)2y2], for 2 x 2
and 2 y 2, with a spacing of 0.1. This plot appears in
Figure 5.4–2, page 248.

>>[X,Y] = meshgrid(-2:0.1:2);
>>Z = X.*exp(-((X-Y.^2).^2+Y.^2));
>>mesh(X,Y,Z),xlabel(’x’),ylabel(’y’),...
zlabel(’z’)

See the next slide.

5-50
A plot of the surface z xe[(xy2)2y2] created with the mesh
function. Figure 5.8–2

5-51
 The following session generates the contour plot of the
function whose surface plot is shown in Figure 5.8–2;
namely, z xe[(xy2)2y2], for 2 x 2 and 2 y 2, with
a spacing of 0.1. This plot appears in Figure 5.4–3, page
249.

>>[X,Y] = meshgrid(-2:0.1:2);
>>Z = X.*exp(-((X- Y.^2).^2+Y.^2));
>>contour(X,Y,Z),xlabel(’x’),ylabel(’y’)

See the next slide.

5-52
A contour plot of the surface z xe[(xy2)2y2] created with the
contour function. Figure 5.4–3

5-53
Three-dimensional plotting functions. Table 5.4–1, page 250.
Function Description
contour(x,y,z) Creates a contour plot.

mesh(x,y,z) Creates a 3D mesh surface plot.

meshc(x,y,z) Same as mesh but draws contours under the

surface.

meshz(x,y,z) Same as mesh but draws vertical reference lines

under the surface.

surf(x,y,z) Creates a shaded 3D mesh surface plot.

surfc(x,y,z) Same as surf but draws contours under the

surface.

[X,Y] = meshgrid(x,y) Creates the matrices X and Y from the vectors x

and y to define a rectangular grid.

[X,Y] = meshgrid(x) Same as [X,Y]= meshgrid(x,x).

waterfall(x,y,z) Same as mesh but draws mesh lines in one

5-54 direction only.
Function Discovery
Function discovery is the process of finding, or
“discovering,” a function that can describe a particular set of
data.
The following three function types can often describe
physical phenomena.

1. The linear function: y(x) = mx + b. Note that y(0) = b.

2. The power function: y(x) = bxm. Note that y(0) = 0 if m ≥ 0,
and y(0) = ∞if m < 0.
3. The exponential function: y(x) = b(10)^mx or its equivalent
form y = be^mx, where e is the base of the natural logarithm
(ln e = 1). Note that y(0) = b for both forms.

5-54
Function Discovery
Function discovery is the process of finding, or
“discovering,” a function that can describe a particular set of
data.
The following three function types can often describe
physical phenomena.

1. The linear function: y(x) = mx + b. Note that y(0) = b.

2. The power function: y(x) = bxm. Note that y(0) = 0 if m ≥ 0,
and y(0) = ∞if m < 0.
3. The exponential function: y(x) = b(10)^mx or its equivalent
form y = be^mx, where e is the base of the natural logarithm
(ln e = 1). Note that y(0) = b for both forms.

5-54
Function Discovery(Cont..
Each function gives a straight line when plotted using a
speci c set of axes:
1. The linear function y = mx + b gives a straight line
when plotted on rectilinear axes. Its slope is m and its
intercept is b.
2. The power function y = bxm gives a straight line
when plotted on log-log axes.
3. The exponential function y = b(10)mx and its
equivalent form y = bemx give a straight line when
plotted on a semilog plot whose y axis is logarithmic.

5-54
Function Discovery(Cont..

5-54
Plots of the surface z xe(x2y2) created with the mesh function
and its variant forms: meshc, meshz, and waterfall. a)
mesh, b) meshc, c) meshz, d) waterfall.
Figure 5.4–4, page 250.

5-55
 The following slides contain the figures from
the homework problems.

5-56
Graphical solution of equations: Circuit representation of a
power supply and a load. Figure P25, page 257.

5-57
Figure P26 on page 257.

5-58
Figure P35 on page 260.

5-59