Plotting Signals in Matlab file:///D:/Dropbox/matlab/html/matlab_plotting.

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Plotting Signals in Matlab

One of the most powerful tools available in matlab is the plot function, which helps
engineers visualise and analyse signals and system behaviour. This document provides
examples on how to use the plot command in different ways.

Contents

Plot a signal using different colors and markers

Label x and y axes, and add a title
Plot a number of signals on the one plot
Create a new figure for different plots
Change the x-axis scale
Create a file (jpg, gif, emf, bmp) for use in documentation
Create multiple plots on the one figure using subplot

Plot a signal using different colors and markers

x = [2 3 4 1 12 4 3 4 5 7 4 1 2 4 2 18 1 9 ];
plot(x, 'r') % plot a signal in red - chnge r for g (green), y (yellow), k (black)

plot(x,'go') % use circles as the marker - color green

plot(x,'k+') % use a + as the marker - color black

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Label x and y axes, and add a title

plot(x)
ylabel('Amplitude');
xlabel('Sample number');
title('An example discrete signal')

Plot a number of signals on the one plot

x = [3 3 5 7 2 3 12 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 8 11 ]; %signal 1
y = [ 1 2 9 0 1 2 4 3 4 5 7 4]; % signal 2
w = [ 1 3 4 5 2 8 1 2 4 6 8 5 3 11 3 8 4]; % signal 3
plot(x)
hold on
plot(y,'r')
plot(w,'gx')
hold off

Create a new figure for different plots

The figure command creates an entirely new figure

x = [3 3 5 7 2 3 12 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 8 11 ]; %signal 1
y = [ 1 2 9 0 1 2 4 3 4 5 7 4]; % signal 2
plot(x)
title('Plot of signal x')
figure

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plot(y)
title('Plot of signal y in a new figure')

Change the x-axis scale

The default is to plot the sample number of the x-axis. However this example shows how a
sinusoid can be plotted against time rather than sample number.

T = 0.01; %samling period

n = 0 : 300; % sample number
frequency = 2; % frequency of a sinusoid in hertz
x = cos(2*pi*frequency*n*T); % create three seconds of a cosine sinusoid

sample_times = n*T;
plot(sample_times, x);
xlabel('Time (seconds)')
ylabel('Amplitude')
title('Three seconds of a 2 Hz Sinusoid');

Create a file (jpg, gif, emf, bmp) for use in documentation

When writing reports it can be vey useful to create plots in matlab and then export the plot to
a standard image file.

x = [3 3 5 7 2 3 12 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 8 11 ]; %signal 1
plot(x)
ylabel('Amplitude');
xlabel('Sample number');

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title('An example discrete signal')

%create three different images - Note: - the gcf varaible is a handle for
%the current figure. gcf means Get Current Figure handle.
saveas(gcf, 'example_signal.emf', 'emf'); % good format for word docs
saveas(gcf, 'example_signal.jpg', 'jpg'); % good format for web
saveas(gcf, 'example_signal.eps', 'eps'); % good format for Latex

Create multiple plots on the one figure using subplot

The subplot command is very useful and allows multiple plots appear on the one figure.

The following lines of code create a signal x and its corresponding magnitude frequency
content Xmags. x and Xmags are then plotted.

T = 0.01; %samling period

n = 0 : 300; % sample number
frequency = 2; % frequency of a sinusoid in hertz
x = cos(2*pi*frequency*n*T); % create three seconds of a cosine sinusoid
Xmags = abs(fft(x)); % get the magnitudes of the Discrete Fourier Transform

subplot(2, 1, 1)
plot(x);
ylabel('Amplitude')
xlabel('Sample Number');
subplot(2, 1, 2);
plot(Xmags);
ylabel('Amplitude')
xlabel('Frequency - Bin Number');

Second example

subplot(1, 2, 1)
plot(x);
ylabel('Amplitude')
xlabel('Sample Number');
subplot(1, 2, 2);
plot(Xmags);
ylabel('Amplitude')

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xlabel('Frequency - Bin Number');

Third example

x = [3 3 5 7 2 3 12 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 8 11 ]; %signal 1
y = [ 1 2 9 0 1 2 4 3 4 5 7 4]; % signal 2
w = [ 1 3 4 5 2 8 1 2 4 6 8 5 3 11 3 8 4]; % signal 3

subplot(1, 3, 1)
plot(x)
subplot(1, 3, 2)
plot(y)
subplot(1, 3, 3)
plot(w)

Fourth example

x = [3 3 5 7 2 3 12 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 8 11 ]; %signal 1
y = [ 1 2 9 0 1 2 4 3 4 5 7 4]; % signal 2
w = [ 1 3 4 5 2 8 1 2 4 6 8 5 3 11 3 8 4]; % signal 3

subplot(3, 1, 1)
plot(x)
subplot(3, 1, 2)
plot(y)
subplot(3, 1, 3)
plot(w)

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% Fifth Example
x = [3 3 5 7 2 3 12 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 8 11 ]; %signal 1
y = [ 1 2 9 0 1 2 4 3 4 5 7 4]; % signal 2
w = [ 1 3 4 5 2 8 1 2 4 6 8 5 3 11 3 8 4]; % signal 3
v = [ 4 8 4 3 2 5 4 3 2 10 9 2 3 5 6];
subplot(2, 2, 1)
plot(x)
subplot(2, 2, 2)
plot(y)
subplot(2, 2, 3)
plot(w)
subplot(2, 2, 4)
plot(w)

% Sixth Example
x = [3 3 5 7 2 3 12 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 8 11 ]; %signal 1
y = [ 1 2 9 0 1 2 4 3 4 5 7 4]; % signal 2
w = [ 1 3 4 5 2 8 1 2 4 6 8 5 3 11 3 8 4]; % signal 3

subplot(2, 2, 1) % plot to top left

plot(x)
subplot(2, 2, 2) % plot to top right
plot(y)
subplot(2, 1, 2) % plot to bottom row - note subplot is now showing 2 rows and 1 column
plot(w)

Published with MATLAB® 7.11

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