Axis limits (xlim, ylim) in Matplotlib - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Axis limits (xlim, ylim)

📖 Scenario: You are analyzing the sales data of a small store over a week. You want to visualize the sales numbers clearly by setting the limits of the x-axis and y-axis on the graph.

🎯 Goal: Create a simple line plot of daily sales and set the x-axis limits to show only days 1 to 7 and the y-axis limits to show sales from 0 to 100.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a list called days with values from 1 to 7 representing days of the week.

Create a list called sales with the exact sales numbers: 20, 35, 30, 50, 70, 65, 80.

Create two variables called x_min and x_max with values 1 and 7 respectively.

Create two variables called y_min and y_max with values 0 and 100 respectively.

Use plt.plot(days, sales) to plot the sales data.

Use plt.xlim(x_min, x_max) and plt.ylim(y_min, y_max) to set the axis limits.

Use plt.show() to display the plot.

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Setting axis limits helps focus on important parts of data in graphs, making trends easier to see.

💼 Career

Data scientists and analysts often adjust axis limits to create clear and informative visualizations for reports and presentations.

1

Create the sales data lists

Create a list called days with values [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] and a list called sales with values [20, 35, 30, 50, 70, 65, 80].

Matplotlib

# Create the days and sales lists
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use square brackets to create lists. Put the exact numbers inside the lists separated by commas.

2

Set the axis limit variables

Create variables x_min and x_max with values 1 and 7 respectively. Also create variables y_min and y_max with values 0 and 100 respectively.

Matplotlib

days = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
sales = [20, 35, 30, 50, 70, 65, 80]
# Create x_min, x_max, y_min, y_max variables
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Assign the numbers directly to the variable names using the equals sign.

3

Plot the sales data and set axis limits

Import matplotlib.pyplot as plt. Use plt.plot(days, sales) to plot the sales data. Then use plt.xlim(x_min, x_max) and plt.ylim(y_min, y_max) to set the x-axis and y-axis limits.

Matplotlib

days = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
sales = [20, 35, 30, 50, 70, 65, 80]
x_min = 1
x_max = 7
y_min = 0
y_max = 100
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Plot the sales data and set axis limits
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use import matplotlib.pyplot as plt at the top. Then call plt.plot() with the two lists. Use plt.xlim() and plt.ylim() with the variables to set limits.

4

Display the plot

Use plt.show() to display the plot with the set axis limits.

Matplotlib

days = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
sales = [20, 35, 30, 50, 70, 65, 80]
x_min = 1
x_max = 7
y_min = 0
y_max = 100
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.plot(days, sales)
plt.xlim(x_min, x_max)
plt.ylim(y_min, y_max)
# Display the plot
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Call plt.show() to open the graph window and see your plot.