Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with graphing

graphing implicit/3d/whatever (multiple plots) in maple/other software

isoman2kx — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:21:51 -0800

graphing implicit/3d/whatever (multiple plots) in maple/other software how would I graph this? I'm getting killed by the boundaries on these triple integrals and trying to visualize these graphs without a calculator or any sort of help. for example, how would you get the boundaries from this problem with a graphing software such as maple?

:::Problem::::

evaluate the triple integral where E is bounded by the cylinder y^2 + z^2 = 16, and the planes x = 0, y = (4/3) x , and z = 0.

I see graphs like this for the problem above that look like my first attachment. The closest I've come is entering it in maple like I've shown in my 2nd attachment for this problem, but why doesn't my graph look like the random professors graph from attachment #1? Mine doesn't have any curves or contours, it's just rigid useless lines. What is their secret?

I take back the maple only request but if you guys know ANY software where I can successfully enter problems like the above in to visualize them would greatly help me out. In a way I'm looking at larger picture because I want to know how to graph any set of equations, planes, functions in one graph regardless of if there's a x, y, z etc, but this problem would certainly help in getting there.

attachment 1 (not mine) :

http://tinyurl.com/y9qrlo8

attachment 2 (mine, in maple):

http://tinyurl.com/y98ngn4

please help lol :(

-travis

Quality Command Line Graphing?

DU — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:41:19 -0800

Open source, command line, low "impact", png-producing, full-featured, good-looking graphing on Linux and other Unices? We are using a script (Tcl, if it matters) to generate a script that will be sent in an email. Right now, we are using gnuplot. It's been a source of problems. No one particular thing, we just often have "issues" generating our graphs, many of them attributable to gnuplot weirdness. I'd like to rewrite it more robustly and eliminate gnuplot (on a three-strikes basis).

The "open source" and "command line" are pretty self explanatory. BTW, I don't really consider gnuplot to be command line, because it has its own shell. Yes, you can script it, but I'm looking for something that will take everything (except the actual data) as command line options.

"Low impact" means "not a lot of extra libs required" and is on the list because we have to manage, build and ship this stuff.

"full-featured" means that something that just draws a squiggle isn't enough. The particular graph we are sending out is actually a multiplot, i.e. two graphs in the same image file. We need to be able to label axes, change colors, set ranges, etc.

"png-producing" I think is non-negotiable. Personally, I would be happy to switch image formats (or better yet, go with SVG), but this email has to meet certain other requirements and I dasn't mess with the format.

"Other Unices" include Solaris and Irix. It doesn't have to ship with those OSes, though, as long as it will compile there painlessly.

As for "good-looking": Plotutils is actually perfect, except for one problem: The font rendering (actually, rasterizing) is complete ass. As in nearly unreadable even at reasonable sizes. I actually confirmed this with the maintainer that there is no way to make them look better at the present time.

Is there a simple computer program I can use to graph functions?

junipero — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:44:33 -0800

Is there an easy-to-use computer program (other than TI Interactive) I can use to draw graphs of functions when I'm writing my Algebra 2 tests? Ideally, I'd like to be able to easily graph functions (single functions as well as piecewise functions), save the graphs, and insert them into a Word document. I'm using Windows Vista.

I loved TI Interactive but for reasons I'm not entirely clear about my school did not renew our subscription to that program this year (I don't know if there is a compatibility issue with Vista or if there is some other reason they did not renew, but the bottom line is I can't use that program any more). I'd like to find something similar to TI Interactive, preferably something that is free or very cheap.

Best way to do graphs in LaTex?

mai — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:38:54 -0800

What the best way to put two-coordinate graphs in a LaTex document? I am keeping a set of course notes for a math class. I am using LaTex (TexMaker on a Mac) for this. I need to create and insert some two-coordinate graphs (linear functions, quadratic functions, etc.) into the notes.

As an undergraduate I did all my math with pencil and paper - I have not done anything like this on the computer since high school. I am a total novice at this and I am figuring it out as a go. What's the best (simplest, least likely to fail) method to do this? Thanks!

[R] you experienced with plot() and barplot() ?

bengarland — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:39:39 -0800

How do I graph these data using R's plot() and barplot() commands? I have data that I need to graph using R. Unfortunately, the examples I have found in books and on the web are too simplistic and do not give me much insight into the process. I have never used R before, and have been trying for hours and hours to figure out how to do what I need to do. I also already read the previous posts about R here on Ask MeFi, but I am still stumped.

I've made a fake set of data that represents the structure of my real data (which you don't want to see, it's too confusing).

Here is my sample data.

Take a quick look at that.

There is a main factor/category, Factor1 with values of "BOB" and "JILL", and a grouping within that called SubFactor with values "Q" and "P". I also have blocked reps of everything, labeled A, B, C, D. My measurements are Measurement1, Measurement2, Measurement3, etc which I will abbreviate as M1, M2, M3, etc.

To cut to the chase, I made a few hand drawings of the graphs I need. Please note that the graphs are illustrative only, and do not correspond to the data above.

Please walk me through this step-by-step and assume I know absolutely nothing about how to get my data into R, how to manipulate it as needed, and finally, how to produce the following graphs.

ALSO if any of you R graphing experts want to take me under your wing and help me learn more than I have outlined here (surely I will have future questions), please send me a MeMail.

----------

GRAPH 1...

In the first, I want to make a bar graph of just the average of the M1 measurements for each treatment, split into categories "BOB" and "JILL" with the grouped "P" and "Q" subfactors.

So that we're on the same page here, the mean of BOB(Q) for M1 = (100+500+200+300)/4 = 275, for example.

Here is my drawing for this: Bar Graph 1

----------

GRAPH 2...

In the second, I want a plot of the measurements for "BOB", with M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 on the X-axis. The lines will represent the "P" and "Q" subfactors.

Here is my drawing for this: Plot 1

----------

GRAPH 3...

In another bar graph, I want to have M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 be the bars, and have them grouped by BOB (Q, P) and JILL (Q, P) on the x-axis. The Y-axis would show the means.

Here is my drawing for this: Bar Graph 2

----------

GRAPH 4...

In the final plot, I want to graph only the mean measurements for "BOB" sub-level "P" over time. Let's say that each M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 was taken at unique times T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 where the times could have values T1=15, T2=45, T3=55, T4=65, T5=70 and they need to be spaced properly on a timeline (i.e. the distance between T1 and T2 should be 30 units, T2 and T3 10 units, T3 and T4 10 units, T4 and T5 5 units) -- I spaced them evenly on the graph, so ignore that.

Here is my drawing for this: Plot 2

----------

THANKS!!!

Recommendations for making Venn diagrams?

tnygard — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:50:03 -0800

Does anyone have software recommendations for making Venn diagrams? Especially complicated ones? Hi all, I have a set of data that I want to make a Venn diagram for, and I was hoping that you might have software recommendations for doing so.

My data is complicated and has several variables. (It shows how the agricultural sector of the American economy breaks down into grains, fibers, vegetables, etc. as well as where these products end up, such as bread products, pasta, etc.) I am not sure if I will make one big diagram with many circles (perhaps 20) or several smaller diagrams.

Ideally I will need something that can:

* Make the circles different sizes to indicate quantity.
* Control the colors of circles.
* Show different degrees of overlapping circles.
* Include many circles -- not just 3.
* Add labels.
* Produces attractive output that is potentially publishable.

I am happy to pay for a software package. But free software is nice.

Thanks in advance for your tips!

Best 3d graphing app for a cheapskate?

unSane — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:07:50 -0800

Best application for 3D graphing (heat maps, contours, bump maps and so on)? I have some data, mostly 3D and the data in higher dimensions can generally be reduced to 3D for analysis.

A typical dataset has a value for several hundred (x,y,z) triples where I want to map z as a function of x and y, in a heat map, bump map, or contour form. The actual form doesn't matter... it just needs to be easily readable.

To take a specific example, I could have x = 1, 2, 3 ... 39, 40 and y = 10, 20, 30 ... 490, 500, with z varying between -500 and +500. I'd like to view this data as an (x, y) grid with the z values represented as heights, or colors, or something else.

Prettily.

I've tried both Excel and Numbers and neither really cuts it. I don't want to shell out for MatLab or anything like that. So I'm wondering if there's a good opensource/freeware/shareware solution to this?

I'm mosty Mac but happy to run a Windows app in VMWare.

Live graphing in .NET, for free

matthewr — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 07:05:53 -0800

What's the best way of adding a "live" graph to my .NET WinForms application, similar in behaviour to the scrolling CPU usage and pagefile graphs found in Task Manager? Must be free, not too ugly, and not too processor-intensive.

Per VHost Apache Bandwidth Stats

Brian Puccio — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:56:14 -0800

Linux/Unix Admin Filter: What is your preferred method for monitoring bandwidth use per virtual host in Apache? I could just log everything and run AWStats/Webalizer/whatever, but that seems overkill when all I really want is a MRTG or RRD Tool graph for each virtual host to indicate bandwidth used the last day, week, month and year. Do you use the impossible to find mod_watch or something else?

Timescale display in Excel

SirStan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:01:30 -0800

Excel/Graphing - Time vs. usage (y/n) graph Oh great mefites. How do I create a graph that has on the X axis discrete items, such as "LIGHT A, LIGHT B, LIGHT C", and on the Y axis a timescale.

Basically I would like to be able to visually share usage patterns of various devices that are either being used, or not used.

The result would look something like this.

This would be relevant for many Y/N items, such as "what do the usage patterns of my 40 workstations at my business look like", or "what lights are on", or "what ports are on/off on my switch during the day".

I specifically want to be able to individually review items as show, I do not want an additive line graph/bar graph that one cannot make assumptions by looking horizontally.

Any tool is fair game.

How to find domain and range on graphing calculator?

meta.mark — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:37:54 -0800

How (if possible) can you find the domain and range of a graph on a graphing calculator (which in my case is a TI-84 Plus)?

That's not art, that's my firewall!

grumpy — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:05:41 -0800

How do you draw a picture depicting firewall rules? Do you know of any examples? I'm looking for a way to depict firewall rules as a picture or graph, sort of like a network diagram. Can you point me to examples or documentation on standard ways of depicting firewall rules graphically?

Free to use, simple social network mapping software?

bifter — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:34:09 -0800

Looking for a simple, free (for commercial use) social network mapping / graphing tool I have an immediate need to do some online community relationship mapping. It's not something that I'm likely to need to do frequently, and I don't need any significant degree of complexity or customisation, so I don't particularly want to pay for a software application like InFlow that emphasises added-value aspects.

Basically, I want to map the relationships between less than 100 blogs, using a simple binary cross reference based on the blogroll / recommended sites. I'd like to output a visual map that can be cosmetically tweaked (font, colours and group positioning) and exported as a jpeg or similar to be pasted into a larger report.

Obviously I've done enough research to know what sorts of academic pages / industry resources about these sorts of tools are available, but I'd like to get it right first try as I don't have much time for trial and error with this project. So, really I'm looking for recommendations issued on an informed basis (first-hand use or similar).

Cheers!

We Don't Need No Stinking Derivatives

wittgenstein — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:53:53 -0800

Obscure Mathfilter: In the arcane past of mathematics, there is something known as a "Newton Polygon", which theoretically can be used to help sketch functions of two variables, say, x^3 + y^3 =3xy, for instance. But -- exactly HOW you use the polygon information to help sketch the graph has never been clearly explained to me.
Does anyone know how to do this?

Related -- there was a post last May or June in (i think) one of the Math Blogs that may have related to this. It was a shortcut approach to sketching polynomials without using derivatives, that just looked at the exponents of each term of the polynomial, and then connected them together using some rules. At the time, I thought "I'll come back and look at this in detail when I get a chance", but, alas, I cannot find it again. (My google-fu is not strong.) Does anyone know what I am talking about?

Alternatively, how would you sketch f(x, y) by hand, especially if it cannot be explicilty solved for x or y? (I realize all sorts of programs will do this for you; I am interested in by hand techniques.)

In search of free online tool for creating radial graphs!

cortex — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:47:20 -0800

Are there any free online tools for generating radar (aka radial, spider, star) graphs/charts? The ideal tool would be easy to use dynamically and/or against large sets of data to generate multiple graphs.

I know that Google Documents, for example, provides a lot of graph/chart options, but not this specific sort. On the other end, I'm solid with perl and aware of e.g. radial.pm, but I'd love to find a slick, existing start-to-finish tool rather than having to roll some or all of it myself.

Any ideas?

Help me make the graph my boss imagined!

nprigoda — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:37:21 -0800

Graphing question: My boss has an idea of how our data should be presented. Please help me figure out how to make it happen! We have three biological categories, each with several patients. We'd like to show that the different categories have different ages of onset of disease.
I've drawn an example of what my boss would like the graph to look like.
Basically, the three categories are along the y-axis. The month of onset is along the x-axis. The data points for each category at a particular month are spread out to show the number of points at that intersection (the points could be spread in a cloud instead of a line)
Please help!

How do I get an automatically generated line graph from a text file with a list of numbers?

kaozity — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:44:44 -0800

Is there a program that can automatically create line graphs from a text file with a list of numbers? Is there a program that I can have running in the background of my windows machine that will take a text file with a list of numbers, formatted as follows...

121
324
53546
4343
2342
etc...

and produce a line graph in jpeg, jpg, bmp, or any other common picture format?

MySQLfilter

juv3nal — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:35:57 -0800

Can anyone help a n00b with a MySQL (& coldfusion) problem? I have a table with a list of transactions by date, so suppose:
(transactionid, userid, transactiontype, transactiondate, balance)
Where balance is the number/volume remaining for that user after the transaction. There are 2 transactiontypes.
I will have seed/initial balances available to me (assume 0 to start if it matters).

I want to graph the total aggregate balance of all users for each day in a given date range, one line for each transactiontype, both on the same chart.

What is the best way (performance-wise) to go about doing this?

I have a couple of implementations which involve a lot of looping + arithmetic in coldfusion but that's a bit of a slog performance-wise so I imagine that pushing more work over to the db would be a good thing here, but my MySQL is not really up to the task so maybe someone out there in AskMe land can help me out? My MySQL experience is limited to pretty much just getting the results I want returned; I have very little understanding of what the performance is like of a subquery vs a temporary table vs coldfusion query of a query. Any help would be appreciated.

Actually, on the coldfusion side, if anyone knows how to get 2 separate groups of "stacks" (seriesplacement="stacked") onto the same chart, that would save me a lot of work, but I have the feeling it's not possible.

Also, please don't hesitate to recommend a graphing package that hooks in easily to coldfusion if you know of one that would be the better way to go here.

Coldfusion MX 7.02 & MySql 4.1 on Apache/Linux if that matters.

Generating Bézier curves from discrete point sets

ijoshua — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:56:26 -0800

What is a good algorithm for generating smooth curves from discrete points? For example, I have a set of time series data. I can easily draw a jagged line by plotting each point and connecting with straight lines. However, I'd like to make a pretty graph with smooth, interpolated lines using cubic or quadratic Bézier curves.

I’ve looked over the Dojo Charting Engine, which does pretty much what I want, simply calculating the delta along the X-axis, and multiplying by a constant “tension” factor to determine the position of the control points.

Can you point me to any other, similar algorithms?

Improve my bar graph

event — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 11:16:12 -0800

How can I better present my information than a bar graph with both very tall and very small bars? I have been given the task of presenting some information visually. The idea is that there are five or ten problems, and each had somewhere between 10,000 and 1,000,000 possibilities, but each has been reduced to around 100 possibilities.

Right now I have a bar graph with 5 bars going as high as 1,000,000, each next to a bar around 100 high, but it doesn't convey much information -- the lower bar is just a pixel line at the bottom of the graph. Example here. There is a grey bar next to each black bar but it may be so small you can't even see it.

Is there a better way to present information like this? Maybe something other than a bar graph?

Plotting and Data Analysis Software

toftflin — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 06:08:48 -0800

Beyond Excel: I need a 2D data plotting tool that not only plots but has the ability to quickly measure things like maximum, minimum, delta between peaks... If your familiar with using an Oscilloscope or Network Analyzer, these have vertical and horizontal marker bars that you can use to measure the data being displayed.

I am in charge of analysing some data and plotting it. I know of some great plotting tools (Tecplot) that make great plots but I need a tool that makes determining things like maximum, minimum, delta between peaks, etc. a lot easier.

Does anyone know of a tool that can do this?

Calculator App

Mars Saxman — Sat, 16 Oct 2004 11:43:45 -0800

I'm working on something like a glorified graphing calculator application, based on a small functional programming language. Each input program describes a function of some number of parameters, and the app's job is to plot the function's output across various input ranges. Is there an existing language with an open-source parser I can reuse for this job instead of inventing and implementing a new language from scratch? I've never done any programming with functional languages before, and while web searches have turned up lists of dozens of them, I have no idea how they work or which ones might be suitable for a small embedded application like this.

The critical requirement is concurrency: the whole point of this project is to compile the program using SIMD instructions so I can run four passes at once. I'm sure threads and dual processor machines will get involved too.

I don't need integer math, or any data types other than single-precision floats. The language needs to include, or I need to be able to supply, a library of intrinsic math functions (sine, tangent, square root, etc). The finished app needs to run on Unix, Windows, and Mac OS.

I call this thing a compiler, but there's no need to write out an executable; it just needs to load the program, run it some thousands of times using different parameter sets, save each result value in an image buffer, and write the output to disk as a PNG or JPEG file.