Tutorial Matplotlib

What is Matplotlib?
Matplotlib is a low level graph plotting library in python that serves as a
visualization utility. Matplotlib was created by John D. Hunter. Matplotlib is open
source and we can use it freely. Matplotlib is mostly written in python, a few
segments are written in C, Objective-C and Javascript for Platform compatibility.

Installation of Matplotlib
If you have Python and PIP already installed on a system, then installation of
Matplotlib is very easy.
Install it using this command:
C:\Users\Your Name>pip install matplotlib
If this command fails, then use a python distribution that already has Matplotlib
installed, like Anaconda, Spyder etc.

Import Matplotlib
Once Matplotlib is installed, import it in your applications by adding
the import module statement:
import matplotlib
Now Matplotlib is imported and ready to use:

Checking Matplotlib Version

The version string is stored under __version__ attribute.
Example 1:
import matplotlib
print(matplotlib.__version__)

Note: two underscore characters are used in __version__.

Pyplot
Most of the Matplotlib utilities lies under the pyplot submodule, and are usually
imported under the plt alias:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
Now the Pyplot package can be referred to as plt.
Example 2:
Draw a line in a diagram from position (0,0) to position (6,250):
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

xpoints = np.array([0, 6])

ypoints = np.array([0, 250])

plt.plot(xpoints, ypoints)
plt.show()
Hasil:

Matplotlib Plotting
1. Plotting x and y points
The plot() function is used to draw points (markers) in a diagram. By default,
the plot() function draws a line from point to point. The function takes parameters
for specifying points in the diagram.
 Parameter 1 is an array containing the points on the x-axis.
 Parameter 2 is an array containing the points on the y-axis.
If we need to plot a line from (1, 3) to (8, 10), we have to pass two arrays [1, 8] and
[3, 10] to the plot function.
Example
 Draw a line in a diagram from position (1, 3) to position (8, 10):
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
 xpoints = np.array([1, 8])
ypoints = np.array([3, 10])

plt.plot(xpoints, ypoints)
plt.show()
Result:

The x-axis is the horizontal axis dan the y-axis is the vertical axis.
2. Plotting Without Line
To plot only the markers, you can use shortcut string notation parameter 'o', which
means 'rings'.
Example:
Draw two points in the diagram, one at position (1, 3) and one in position (8, 10):
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

xpoints = np.array([1, 8])

ypoints = np.array([3, 10])

plt.plot(xpoints, ypoints, 'o')

plt.show()

Result:
3. Multiple Points
You can plot as many points as you like, just make sure you have the same number
of points in both axis.
Example
Draw a line in a diagram from position (1, 3) to (2, 8) then to (6, 1) and finally to
position (8, 10):
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

xpoints = np.array([1, 2, 6, 8])

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(xpoints, ypoints)
plt.show()
Result:
4. Default X-Points
If we do not specify the points in the x-axis, they will get the default values 0, 1, 2,
3, (etc. depending on the length of the y-points).
So, if we take the same example as above, and leave out the x-points, the diagram
will look like this:
Example
Plotting without x-points:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10, 5, 7])

plt.plot(ypoints)
plt.show()

Result:
The x-points in the example above is [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

Matplotlib Markers
1. Markers
You can use the keyword argument marker to emphasize each point with a
specified marker.
Example
Mark each point with a circle:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, marker = 'o')

plt.show()
Result:
Example
Mark each point with a star:
...
plt.plot(ypoints, marker = '*')
...
Result:
Marker Reference
You can choose any of these markers:
Marker Description
'o' Circle
'*' Star
'.' Point
',' Pixel
'x' X
'X' X (filled)
'+' Plus
'P' Plus (filled)
's' Square
'D' Diamond
'd' Diamond (thin)
'p' Pentagon
'H' Hexagon
'h' Hexagon
'v' Triangle Down
'^' Triangle Up
'<' Triangle Left
'>' Triangle Right
'1' Tri Down
'2' Tri Up
'3' Tri Left
'4' Tri Right
'|' Vline
'_' Hline

2. Format Strings fmt

You can use also use the shortcut string notation parameter to specify the marker.
This parameter is also called fmt, and is written with this syntax:
marker|line|color
Example
Mark each point with a circle:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, 'o:r')
plt.show()

Result:

The marker value can be anything from the Marker Reference above.
The line value can be one of the following:

Line Reference
Line Syntax Description
'-' Solid line
':' Dotted line
'--' Dashed line
'-.' Dashed/dotted line

Note: If you leave out the line value in the fmt parameter, no line will be plottet.
The short color value can be one of the following:
Color Reference

Color Syntax Description

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

3. Marker Size
You can use the keyword argument markersize or the shorter version, ms to set the
size of the markers:
Example
Set the size of the markers to 20:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, marker = 'o', ms = 20)

plt.show()

Result:
4. Marker Color
You can use the keyword argument markeredgecolor or the shorter mec to set the
color of the edge of the markers:
Example
Set the EDGE color to red:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, marker = 'o', ms = 20, mec = 'r')

plt.show()

Result:
You can use the keyword argument markerfacecolor or the shorter mfc to set the
color inside the edge of the markers:
Example
Set the FACE color to red:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, marker = 'o', ms = 20, mfc = 'r')
plt.show()
Result:
Use both the mec and mfc arguments to color of the entire marker:
Example
Set the color of both the edge and the face to red:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, marker = 'o', ms = 20, mec = 'r', mfc = 'r')

plt.show()
Result:
You can also use Hexadecimal color values:
Example
Mark each point with a beautiful green color:
...
plt.plot(ypoints, marker = 'o', ms = 20, mec = '#4CAF50', mfc = '#4CAF50')
...
Result:
Or any of the 140 supported color names.
Example
Mark each point with the color named "hotpink":
...
plt.plot(ypoints, marker = 'o', ms = 20, mec = 'hotpink', mfc = 'hotpink')
...
Result:
Matplotlib Line
Linestyle
You can use the keyword argument linestyle, or shorter ls, to change the style of
the plotted line:
Example
Use a dotted line:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, linestyle = 'dotted')

plt.show()
Result:
Example
Use a dashed line:

plt.plot(ypoints, linestyle = 'dashed')

Result:
Shorter Syntax
The line style can be written in a shorter syntax:
linestyle can be written as ls.
dotted can be written as :.
dashed can be written as --.

Example
Shorter syntax:

plt.plot(ypoints, ls = ':')

Result:
Line Styles
You can choose any of these styles:

Style Or

'solid' (default) '-'

'dotted' ':'

'dashed' '--'

'dashdot' '-.'

'None' '' or ' '

Line Color
You can use the keyword argument color or the shorter c to set the color of the
line:
Example
Set the line color to red:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, color = 'r')

plt.show()
Result:

You can also use Hexadecimal color values:

Example
Plot with a beautiful green line:
...
plt.plot(ypoints, c = '#4CAF50')
...
Result:
Or any of the 140 supported color names.
Example
Plot with the color named "hotpink":
...
plt.plot(ypoints, c = 'hotpink')
...
Result:
Line Width
You can use the keyword argument linewidth or the shorter lw to change the width
of the line.
The value is a floating number, in points:
Example
Plot with a 20.5pt wide line:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

ypoints = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.plot(ypoints, linewidth = '20.5')

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Multiple Lines
You can plot as many lines as you like by simply adding more plt.plot() functions:
Example
Draw two lines by specifying a plt.plot() function for each line:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y1 = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])
y2 = np.array([6, 2, 7, 11])

plt.plot(y1)
plt.plot(y2)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
You can also plot many lines by adding the points for the x- and y-axis for each line
in the same plt.plot() function.
(In the examples above we only specified the points on the y-axis, meaning that the
points on the x-axis got the the default values (0, 1, 2, 3).)
The x- and y- values come in pairs:
Example
Draw two lines by specifiyng the x- and y-point values for both lines:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x1 = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y1 = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])
x2 = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y2 = np.array([6, 2, 7, 11])

plt.plot(x1, y1, x2, y2)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Matplotlib Labels and Title

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Create Labels for a Plot

With Pyplot, you can use the xlabel() and ylabel() functions to set a label for the x-
and y-axis.
Example
Add labels to the x- and y-axis:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

plt.plot(x, y)

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse")
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage")
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Create a Title for a Plot

With Pyplot, you can use the title() function to set a title for the plot.
Example
Add a plot title and labels for the x- and y-axis:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

plt.plot(x, y)

plt.title("Sports Watch Data")

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse")
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage")

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Set Font Properties for Title and Labels

You can use the fontdict parameter in xlabel(), ylabel(), and title() to set font
properties for the title and labels.
Example
Set font properties for the title and labels:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

font1 = {'family':'serif','color':'blue','size':20}
font2 = {'family':'serif','color':'darkred','size':15}

plt.title("Sports Watch Data", fontdict = font1)

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse", fontdict = font2)
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage", fontdict = font2)
plt.plot(x, y)
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Position the Title

You can use the loc parameter in title() to position the title.
Legal values are: 'left', 'right', and 'center'. Default value is 'center'.
Example
Position the title to the left:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

plt.title("Sports Watch Data", loc = 'left')

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse")
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage")

plt.plot(x, y)
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Matplotlib Adding Grid Lines

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Add Grid Lines to a Plot

With Pyplot, you can use the grid() function to add grid lines to the plot.
Example
Add grid lines to the plot:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

plt.title("Sports Watch Data")

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse")
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage")
plt.plot(x, y)

plt.grid()

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Specify Which Grid Lines to Display

You can use the axis parameter in the grid() function to specify which grid lines to
display.
Legal values are: 'x', 'y', and 'both'. Default value is 'both'.
Example
Display only grid lines for the x-axis:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

plt.title("Sports Watch Data")

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse")
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage")

plt.plot(x, y)

plt.grid(axis = 'x')

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »
Example
Display only grid lines for the y-axis:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

plt.title("Sports Watch Data")

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse")
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage")

plt.plot(x, y)
plt.grid(axis = 'y')

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Set Line Properties for the Grid

You can also set the line properties of the grid, like this: grid(color = 'color',
linestyle = 'linestyle', linewidth = number).
Example
Set the line properties of the grid:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = np.array([80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125])
y = np.array([240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330])

plt.title("Sports Watch Data")

plt.xlabel("Average Pulse")
plt.ylabel("Calorie Burnage")

plt.plot(x, y)
plt.grid(color = 'green', linestyle = '--', linewidth = 0.5)

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Matplotlib Subplots

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Display Multiple Plots

With the subplots() function you can draw multiple plots in one figure:
Example
Draw 2 plots:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

#plot 1:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])
plt.subplot(1, 2, 1)
plt.plot(x,y)

#plot 2:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([10, 20, 30, 40])

plt.subplot(1, 2, 2)
plt.plot(x,y)

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

The subplots() Function

The subplots() function takes three arguments that describes the layout of the
figure.
The layout is organized in rows and columns, which are represented by
the first and second argument.
The third argument represents the index of the current plot.
plt.subplot(1, 2, 1)
#the figure has 1 row, 2 columns, and this plot is the first plot.

plt.subplot(1, 2, 2)
#the figure has 1 row, 2 columns, and this plot is the second plot.
So, if we want a figure with 2 rows an 1 column (meaning that the two plots will be
displayed on top of each other instead of side-by-side), we can write the syntax like
this:
Example
Draw 2 plots on top of each other:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

#plot 1:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.subplot(2, 1, 1)
plt.plot(x,y)

#plot 2:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([10, 20, 30, 40])

plt.subplot(2, 1, 2)
plt.plot(x,y)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
You can draw as many plots you like on one figure, just descibe the number of
rows, columns, and the index of the plot.
Example
Draw 6 plots:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.subplot(2, 3, 1)
plt.plot(x,y)

x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([10, 20, 30, 40])

plt.subplot(2, 3, 2)
plt.plot(x,y)

x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.subplot(2, 3, 3)
plt.plot(x,y)

x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([10, 20, 30, 40])

plt.subplot(2, 3, 4)
plt.plot(x,y)

x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.subplot(2, 3, 5)
plt.plot(x,y)

x= np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([10, 20, 30, 40])

plt.subplot(2, 3, 6)
plt.plot(x,y)

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »
Title
You can add a title to each plot with the title() function:
Example
2 plots, with titles:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

#plot 1:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.subplot(1, 2, 1)
plt.plot(x,y)
plt.title("SALES")

#plot 2:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([10, 20, 30, 40])

plt.subplot(1, 2, 2)
plt.plot(x,y)
plt.title("INCOME")

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Super Title
You can add a title to the entire figure with the suptitle() function:
Example
Add a title for the entire figure:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

#plot 1:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.subplot(1, 2, 1)
plt.plot(x,y)
plt.title("SALES")

#plot 2:
x = np.array([0, 1, 2, 3])
y = np.array([10, 20, 30, 40])

plt.subplot(1, 2, 2)
plt.plot(x,y)
plt.title("INCOME")

plt.suptitle("MY SHOP")
plt.show()
Result:

Matplotlib Scatter

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Creating Scatter Plots

With Pyplot, you can use the scatter() function to draw a scatter plot.
The scatter() function plots one dot for each observation. It needs two arrays of the
same length, one for the values of the x-axis, and one for values on the y-axis:
Example
A simple scatter plot:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
plt.scatter(x, y)
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »
The observation in the example above is the result of 13 cars passing by.
The X-axis shows how old the car is.
The Y-axis shows the speed of the car when it passes.
Are there any relationships between the observations?
It seems that the newer the car, the faster it drives, but that could be a coincidence,
after all we only registered 13 cars.

Compare Plots
In the example above, there seems to be a relationship between speed and age, but
what if we plot the observations from another day as well? Will the scatter plot tell
us something else?
Example
Draw two plots on the same figure:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
#day one, the age and speed of 13 cars:
x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
plt.scatter(x, y)

#day two, the age and speed of 15 cars:

x = np.array([2,2,8,1,15,8,12,9,7,3,11,4,7,14,12])
y = np.array([100,105,84,105,90,99,90,95,94,100,79,112,91,80,85])
plt.scatter(x, y)

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »
Note: The two plots are plotted with two different colors, by default blue and
orange, you will learn how to change colors later in this chapter.
By comparing the two plots, I think it is safe to say that they both gives us the same
conclusion: the newer the car, the faster it drives.

Colors
You can set your own color for each scatter plot with the color or the c argument:
Example
Set your own color of the markers:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
plt.scatter(x, y, color = 'hotpink')

x = np.array([2,2,8,1,15,8,12,9,7,3,11,4,7,14,12])
y = p.array([100,105,84,105,90,99,90,95,94,100,79,112,91,80,85])
plt.scatter(x, y, color = '#88c999')
plt.show()

Result:

Color Each Dot

You can even set a specific color for each dot by using an array of colors as value
for the c argument:
Note: You cannot use the color argument for this, only the c argument.
Example
Set your own color of the markers:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
colors =
np.array(["red","green","blue","yellow","pink","black","orange","purple","beige","b
rown","gray","cyan","magenta"])

plt.scatter(x, y, c=colors)

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

ColorMap
The Matplotlib module has a number of available colormaps.
A colormap is like a list of colors, where each color has a value that ranges from 0
to 100.
Here is an example of a colormap:
This colormap is called 'viridis' and as you can see it ranges from 0, which is a
purple color, and up to 100, which is a yellow color.
How to Use the ColorMap
You can specify the colormap with the keyword argument cmap with the value of
the colormap, in this case 'viridis' which is one of the built-in colormaps available
in Matplotlib.
In addition you have to create an array with values (from 0 to 100), one value for
each of the point in the scatter plot:
Example
Create a color array, and specify a colormap in the scatter plot:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
colors = np.array([0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100])

plt.scatter(x, y, c=colors, cmap='viridis')

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
You can include the colormap in the drawing by including
the plt.colorbar() statement:
Example
Include the actual colormap:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
colors = np.array([0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100])

plt.scatter(x, y, c=colors, cmap='viridis')

plt.colorbar()

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
Available ColorMaps
You can choose any of the built-in colormaps:

Name Reverse

Accent Try it » Accent_r

Blues Try it » Blues_r

BrBG Try it » BrBG_r

BuGn Try it » BuGn_r

BuPu Try it » BuPu_r

CMRmap Try it » CMRmap_r

Dark2 Try it » Dark2_r

GnBu Try it » GnBu_r

Greens Try it » Greens_r

Greys Try it » Greys_r

OrRd Try it » OrRd_r

Oranges Try it » Oranges_r

PRGn Try it » PRGn_r

Paired Try it » Paired_r

Pastel1 Try it » Pastel1_r

Pastel2 Try it » Pastel2_r

PiYG Try it » PiYG_r

PuBu Try it » PuBu_r

PuBuGn Try it » PuBuGn_r

PuOr Try it » PuOr_r

PuRd Try it » PuRd_r

Purples Try it » Purples_r

RdBu Try it » RdBu_r

RdGy Try it » RdGy_r

RdPu Try it » RdPu_r

RdYlBu Try it » RdYlBu_r

RdYlGn Try it » RdYlGn_r

Reds Try it » Reds_r

Set1 Try it » Set1_r

Set2 Try it » Set2_r

Set3 Try it » Set3_r

Spectral Try it » Spectral_r

Wistia Try it » Wistia_r

YlGn Try it » YlGn_r

YlGnBu Try it » YlGnBu_r

YlOrBr Try it » YlOrBr_r

YlOrRd Try it » YlOrRd_r

afmhot Try it » afmhot_r

autumn Try it » autumn_r

binary Try it » binary_r

bone Try it » bone_r

brg Try it » brg_r

bwr Try it » bwr_r

cividis Try it » cividis_r

cool Try it » cool_r

coolwarm Try it » coolwarm_r

copper Try it » copper_r

cubehelix Try it » cubehelix_r

flag Try it » flag_r

gist_earth Try it » gist_earth_r

gist_gray Try it » gist_gray_r

gist_heat Try it » gist_heat_r

gist_ncar Try it » gist_ncar_r

gist_rainbow Try it » gist_rainbow_r

gist_stern Try it » gist_stern_r

gist_yarg Try it » gist_yarg_r

gnuplot Try it » gnuplot_r

gnuplot2 Try it » gnuplot2_r

gray Try it » gray_r

hot Try it » hot_r

hsv Try it » hsv_r

inferno Try it » inferno_r

jet Try it » jet_r

magma Try it » magma_r

nipy_spectral Try it » nipy_spectral_r

ocean Try it » ocean_r

pink Try it » pink_r

plasma Try it » plasma_r

prism Try it » prism_r

 rainbow Try it » rainbow_r

seismic Try it » seismic_r

spring Try it » spring_r

summer Try it » summer_r

tab10 Try it » tab10_r

tab20 Try it » tab20_r

tab20b Try it » tab20b_r

tab20c Try it » tab20c_r

terrain Try it » terrain_r

twilight Try it » twilight_r

twilight_shifted Try it » twilight_shifted_r

viridis Try it » viridis_r

winter Try it » winter_r

Size
You can change the size of the dots with the s argument.
Just like colors, make sure the array for sizes has the same length as the arrays for
the x- and y-axis:
Example
Set your own size for the markers:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
sizes = np.array([20,50,100,200,500,1000,60,90,10,300,600,800,75])
plt.scatter(x, y, s=sizes)

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Alpha
You can adjust the transparency of the dots with the alpha argument.
Just like colors, make sure the array for sizes has the same length as the arrays for
the x- and y-axis:
Example
Set your own size for the markers:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array([5,7,8,7,2,17,2,9,4,11,12,9,6])
y = np.array([99,86,87,88,111,86,103,87,94,78,77,85,86])
sizes = np.array([20,50,100,200,500,1000,60,90,10,300,600,800,75])

plt.scatter(x, y, s=sizes, alpha=0.5)

plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Combine Color Size and Alpha

You can combine a colormap with different sizes on the dots. This is best visualized
if the dots are transparent:
Example
Create random arrays with 100 values for x-points, y-points, colors and sizes:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.random.randint(100, size=(100))
y = np.random.randint(100, size=(100))
colors = np.random.randint(100, size=(100))
sizes = 10 * np.random.randint(100, size=(100))

plt.scatter(x, y, c=colors, s=sizes, alpha=0.5, cmap='nipy_spectral')

plt.colorbar()
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »
Matplotlib Bars

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Creating Bars
With Pyplot, you can use the bar() function to draw bar graphs:
Example
Draw 4 bars:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array(["A", "B", "C", "D"])

y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.bar(x,y)
plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
The bar() function takes arguments that describes the layout of the bars.
The categories and their values represented by the first and second argument as
arrays.
Example
x = ["APPLES", "BANANAS"]
y = [400, 350]
plt.bar(x, y)
Try it Yourself »

Horizontal Bars
If you want the bars to be displayed horizontally instead of vertically, use
the barh() function:
Example
Draw 4 horizontal bars:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array(["A", "B", "C", "D"])

y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])
plt.barh(x, y)
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Bar Color
The bar() and barh() takes the keyword argument color to set the color of the bars:
Example
Draw 4 red bars:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array(["A", "B", "C", "D"])

y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.bar(x, y, color = "red")

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
Color Names
You can use any of the 140 supported color names.
Example
Draw 4 "hot pink" bars:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array(["A", "B", "C", "D"])

y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.bar(x, y, color = "hotpink")

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
Color Hex
Or you can use Hexadecimal color values:
Example
Draw 4 bars with a beautiful green color:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array(["A", "B", "C", "D"])

y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.bar(x, y, color = "#4CAF50")

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Bar Width
The bar() takes the keyword argument width to set the width of the bars:
Example
Draw 4 very thin bars:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array(["A", "B", "C", "D"])

y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.bar(x, y, width = 0.1)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
The default width value is 0.8
Note: For horizontal bars, use height instead of width.

Bar Height
The barh() takes the keyword argument height to set the height of the bars:
Example
Draw 4 very thin bars:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.array(["A", "B", "C", "D"])

y = np.array([3, 8, 1, 10])

plt.barh(x, y, height = 0.1)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
Matplotlib Histograms

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Histogram
A histogram is a graph showing frequency distributions.
It is a graph showing the number of observations within each given interval.
Example: Say you ask for the height of 250 people, you might end up with a
histogram like this:
You can read from the histogram that there are approximately:
2 people from 140 to 145cm
5 people from 145 to 150cm
15 people from 151 to 156cm
31 people from 157 to 162cm
46 people from 163 to 168cm
53 people from 168 to 173cm
45 people from 173 to 178cm
28 people from 179 to 184cm
21 people from 185 to 190cm
4 people from 190 to 195cm

Create Histogram
In Matplotlib, we use the hist() function to create histograms.
The hist() function will use an array of numbers to create a histogram, the array is
sent into the function as an argument.
For simplicity we use NumPy to randomly generate an array with 250 values,
where the values will concentrate around 170, and the standard deviation is 10.
Learn more about Normal Data Distribution in our Machine Learning Tutorial.
Example
A Normal Data Distribution by NumPy:
import numpy as np

x = np.random.normal(170, 10, 250)

print(x)
Result:
This will generate a random result, and could look like this:

[167.62255766 175.32495609 152.84661337 165.50264047 163.17457988

162.29867872 172.83638413 168.67303667 164.57361342 180.81120541
170.57782187 167.53075749 176.15356275 176.95378312 158.4125473
187.8842668 159.03730075 166.69284332 160.73882029 152.22378865
164.01255164 163.95288674 176.58146832 173.19849526 169.40206527
166.88861903 149.90348576 148.39039643 177.90349066 166.72462233
177.44776004 170.93335636 173.26312881 174.76534435 162.28791953
166.77301551 160.53785202 170.67972019 159.11594186 165.36992993
178.38979253 171.52158489 173.32636678 159.63894401 151.95735707
175.71274153 165.00458544 164.80607211 177.50988211 149.28106703
179.43586267 181.98365273 170.98196794 179.1093176 176.91855744
168.32092784 162.33939782 165.18364866 160.52300507 174.14316386
163.01947601 172.01767945 173.33491959 169.75842718 198.04834503
192.82490521 164.54557943 206.36247244 165.47748898 195.26377975
164.37569092 156.15175531 162.15564208 179.34100362 167.22138242
147.23667125 162.86940215 167.84986671 172.99302505 166.77279814
196.6137667 159.79012341 166.5840824 170.68645637 165.62204521
174.5559345 165.0079216 187.92545129 166.86186393 179.78383824
161.0973573 167.44890343 157.38075812 151.35412246 171.3107829
162.57149341 182.49985133 163.24700057 168.72639903 169.05309467
167.19232875 161.06405208 176.87667712 165.48750185 179.68799986
158.7913483 170.22465411 182.66432721 173.5675715 176.85646836
157.31299754 174.88959677 183.78323508 174.36814558 182.55474697
180.03359793 180.53094948 161.09560099 172.29179934 161.22665588
171.88382477 159.04626132 169.43886536 163.75793589 157.73710983
174.68921523 176.19843414 167.39315397 181.17128255 174.2674597
186.05053154 177.06516302 171.78523683 166.14875436 163.31607668
 174.01429569 194.98819875 169.75129209 164.25748789 180.25773528
170.44784934 157.81966006 171.33315907 174.71390637 160.55423274
163.92896899 177.29159542 168.30674234 165.42853878 176.46256226
162.61719142 166.60810831 165.83648812 184.83238352 188.99833856
161.3054697 175.30396693 175.28109026 171.54765201 162.08762813
164.53011089 189.86213299 170.83784593 163.25869004 198.68079225
166.95154328 152.03381334 152.25444225 149.75522816 161.79200594
162.13535052 183.37298831 165.40405341 155.59224806 172.68678385
179.35359654 174.19668349 163.46176882 168.26621173 162.97527574
192.80170974 151.29673582 178.65251432 163.17266558 165.11172588
183.11107905 169.69556831 166.35149789 178.74419135 166.28562032
169.96465166 178.24368042 175.3035525 170.16496554 158.80682882
187.10006553 178.90542991 171.65790645 183.19289193 168.17446717
155.84544031 177.96091745 186.28887898 187.89867406 163.26716924
169.71242393 152.9410412 158.68101969 171.12655559 178.1482624
187.45272185 173.02872935 163.8047623 169.95676819 179.36887054
157.01955088 185.58143864 170.19037101 157.221245 168.90639755
178.7045601 168.64074373 172.37416382 165.61890535 163.40873027
168.98683006 149.48186389 172.20815568 172.82947206 173.71584064
189.42642762 172.79575803 177.00005573 169.24498561 171.55576698
161.36400372 176.47928342 163.02642822 165.09656415 186.70951892
153.27990317 165.59289527 180.34566865 189.19506385 183.10723435
173.48070474 170.28701875 157.24642079 157.9096498 176.4248199 ]

Try it Yourself »
The hist() function will read the array and produce a histogram:
Example
A simple histogram:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.random.normal(170, 10, 250)

plt.hist(x)
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »

Matplotlib Pie Charts

❮ PreviousNext ❯

Creating Pie Charts

With Pyplot, you can use the pie() function to draw pie charts:
Example
A simple pie chart:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

plt.pie(y)
plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
As you can see the pie chart draws one piece (called a wedge) for each value in the
array (in this case [35, 25, 25, 15]).
By default the plotting of the first wedge starts from the x-axis and
move counterclockwise:
Note: The size of each wedge is determined by comparing the value with all the
other values, by using this formula:
The value divided by the sum of all values: x/sum(x)

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Labels
Add labels to the pie chart with the label parameter.
The label parameter must be an array with one label for each wedge:
Example
A simple pie chart:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

mylabels = ["Apples", "Bananas", "Cherries", "Dates"]

plt.pie(y, labels = mylabels)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Start Angle
As mentioned the default start angle is at the x-axis, but you can change the start
angle by specifying a startangle parameter.
The startangle parameter is defined with an angle in degrees, default angle is 0:
Example
Start the first wedge at 90 degrees:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

mylabels = ["Apples", "Bananas", "Cherries", "Dates"]

plt.pie(y, labels = mylabels, startangle = 90)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Explode
Maybe you want one of the wedges to stand out? The explode parameter allows
you to do that.
The explode parameter, if specified, and not None, must be an array with one value
for each wedge.
Each value represents how far from the center each wedge is displayed:
Example
Pull the "Apples" wedge 0.2 from the center of the pie:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

mylabels = ["Apples", "Bananas", "Cherries", "Dates"]
myexplode = [0.2, 0, 0, 0]

plt.pie(y, labels = mylabels, explode = myexplode)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Shadow
Add a shadow to the pie chart by setting the shadows parameter to True:
Example
Add a shadow:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

mylabels = ["Apples", "Bananas", "Cherries", "Dates"]
myexplode = [0.2, 0, 0, 0]

plt.pie(y, labels = mylabels, explode = myexplode, shadow = True)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »

Colors
You can set the color of each wedge with the colors parameter.
The colors parameter, if specified, must be an array with one value for each wedge:
Example
Specify a new color for each wedge:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

mylabels = ["Apples", "Bananas", "Cherries", "Dates"]
mycolors = ["black", "hotpink", "b", "#4CAF50"]

plt.pie(y, labels = mylabels, colors = mycolors)

plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »
You can use Hexadecimal color values, any of the 140 supported color names, or
one of these shortcuts:
'r' - Red
'g' - Green
'b' - Blue
'c' - Cyan
'm' - Magenta
'y' - Yellow
'k' - Black
'w' - White

Legend
To add a list of explanation for each wedge, use the legend() function:
Example
Add a legend:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

mylabels = ["Apples", "Bananas", "Cherries", "Dates"]
plt.pie(y, labels = mylabels)
plt.legend()
plt.show()
Result:

Try it Yourself »
Legend With Header
To add a header to the legend, add the title parameter to the legend function.
Example
Add a legend with a header:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

y = np.array([35, 25, 25, 15])

mylabels = ["Apples", "Bananas", "Cherries", "Dates"]

plt.pie(y, labels = mylabels)

plt.legend(title = "Four Fruits:")
plt.show()
Result:
Try it Yourself »