Matplotlib – Plot points

Matplotlib – Plot points

In this tutorial, you shall learn a step by step process to draw points on a plot using plot() function of matplotlib.pyplot.

1. Import Matplotlib

Import the Matplotlib library, specifically the pyplot module.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

2. Create Data

Define example data points.

# Example data
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [2, 3, 5, 7, 11]

In this case, x represents the values on the X-axis, and y represents the corresponding values on the Y-axis.

3. Plot Points

Use the plot() function to create a line plot of the data points.

plt.plot(x, y, 'o')  # 'o' specifies markers for points

The ‘o’ argument specifies that markers (dots) should be used to represent each point on the plot. Refer Marker Reference.

4. Customize Plot

Add customization to the plot for better clarity.

plt.title('Plot of Points')
plt.xlabel('X-axis Label')
plt.ylabel('Y-axis Label')

The title(), xlabel(), and ylabel() functions set the title, X-axis label, and Y-axis label, respectively.

5. Show the Plot

Display the plot.

plt.show()

The show() function is essential for rendering the plot and making it visible.

Complete program to draw a plot with points

Using all the above steps, let us write the complete program to draw points on the plot using Matplotlib plot() function.

Python Program

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Example data
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [2, 3, 5, 7, 11]

# Plot points
plt.plot(x, y, 'o')

# Customize plot
plt.title('Plot of Points')
plt.xlabel('X-axis Label')
plt.ylabel('Y-axis Label')

# Show the plot
plt.show()

Output

Summary

That concludes our tutorial on creating a plot with points using Matplotlib in Python!