Plotting formulas

Creating plot figures

Make sure the formula you want to plot has at least one array value (otherwise, you would be plotting a single data point instead of a set of data).

Then click on the plot button next to that formula’s solve button.

Editing plots and figures

If you click on the edit button, the plot figure’s edit panel will slide out.

Within the edit panel you’ll see a list of the figure’s plots. Clicking on a plot will reveal the settings for that particular plot.

Close the edit panel by clicking on the edit again.

Plot options

Plot label

A plot’s label is what is shown in the figure’s legend.

Note this is distinct from the plot figure’s title.

Changing the plotted variables

Under the variables section in the plot’s options, you can view and change the variables used in that plot.

To re-assign another variable to be plotted on a particular axis:

1. Click on the choose button next to the desired axis
2. Scroll through the formulas in the Solver until you locate the new variable. Variables you can use in the plot will be outlined orange.
3. Click on the desired variable

Note

All plots on a given axis must have compatible units. For example, you can mix variables with meters and centimeters one a single axis. To add a variable with other units such as seconds, you’d have to make use of the 2nd Y-axis.

Multiple Y axes

In the variables section of a plot’s settings, you can see an option to plot its Y-variable on either the y1 (left-hand) or y2 (right-hand) axis.

Line plot, scatter plot, plot color

You can alter a plot’s visual formatting under the graphics section of its settings.

Adding additional plots to a figure

You can add additional plots to a figure is by duplicating one of its existing plots.

Click on the button found in the figure’s list of plots to do this.

After you’ve added the new plot, you can change its variables, colors, etc. as described under Plot options.

Axis settings

You can change the domain or range and label of a Y- or X-axis, as well as setting it to a logarithmic scale, by clicking on it in the axis itself in the plot figure.

By default, the units of the plotted variables are used as an axis’s label, and the range/domain are determined automatically based on the plotted variables’ values.

Constraint variables (3-D slices)

While true 3-dimensional plots are not supported, it is possible to mimic their effects by constraining a plot curve to variables other than those plotted on the Y- and X-axes.

In the example, the formula for the volume of a cylinder has three variables, V, h, and r (volume, height, and radius). You can view changes in the plot of V against h when r is set to particular values. Each particular value of r represents a slice of the plot V against h against r, had it been graphed in 3 dimensions.

To add a constraint variable:

1. Open the settings for a particular plot as described above.

2. In the other variables box click on the +add button.

   • The Solver will stop here with a warning if it can’t locate any variables that can be used as constraint variables

3. Scroll through the Solver to locate the desired constraint variable

4. Click on the variable

5. Select a particular value for the new constraint variable using the slider in the other variables box

Note you are not restricted to using just a single constraint variable (i.e. a 3rd dimension).