Formatting a 2D Plot / 125
Formatting a 2D Plot
You can override Mathcad’s default settings for axes and traces, add titles and labels, and control other settings for a graph.
1. Double-click the graph to open the graph formatting dialog box.
2.Use the Axes tab to determine the appearance of the axes, grid lines, and markers. Use the Traces tab to set the color, type, symbols, and width of the traces. Use the Labels tab to insert labels on the axes (X-Y plots only) and specify a title for your plot. The Number Format tab allows you to format the displayed precision of the numbers on the axes. Use the Defaults tab to specify the default appearance of your graphs.
3.Click “Apply” to see the effect of your changes without closing the dialog box.
Tip If you double-click an axis on a graph, a formatting dialog box for that axis alone appears.
Online Help Click Help in the bottom of the dialog box for details on particular formatting options.
Setting Axis Limits
2D graphs by default are set with Auto scale on. You can use the Axes page of the graph formatting dialog box to turn Auto scale off:
•With Auto scale on, each axis limit is set to the first major tick mark beyond the end of the data, so that every point being plotted is displayed.
•With Autoscale off, the axis limits are set exactly at the data limits.
Specifying Other Limits
To override Mathcad’s automatic limits by entering limits directly on the graph:
1.Click the graph to select it. You will see a number by each axis limit, enclosed in corner symbols, as illustrated in the selected plot in Figure 11-8.
2.Click on each number and type a number to replace it.
126/ Chapter 11 2D Plots
3.When you click outside the graph, Mathcad redraws it with the new axis limits.
Figure 11-8: In the graph on the left, Mathcad has automatically generated data limits at 0.5 and 2.499, which are visible when you select the graph. The graph on the right displays the new y-axis limits manually set at 0.6 and 2.0.
Adding Custom Titles, Labels, and Other Annotations
To annotate your graph by moving text on top of it:
1.Create a text region or add a graphic object in your worksheet.
2.Drag the text or object onto your 2D graph and position it.
Figure 11-9 shows a graph with both a text region (inflection pt) and a graphic object (an arrow) superimposed on it.
Figure 11-9: Mathcad graph with annotations.
Note If you choose Separate Regions from the Format menu, all overlapping regions in your worksheet separate, including the annotations on top of a graph.