Figure creation with plt.figure in Matplotlib - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Figure creation with plt.figure

Call plt.figure()

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Create new Figure object

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Figure ready for plotting

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Add plots or axes

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Show or save figure

This flow shows how calling plt.figure() creates a new empty figure ready for plotting.

Execution Sample

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig = plt.figure()
print(type(fig))

This code creates a new figure and prints its type to confirm creation.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Evaluation	Result
1	Import matplotlib.pyplot as plt	Module imported	plt module ready
2	Call plt.figure()	Create new figure object	<class 'matplotlib.figure.Figure'>
3	Print type(fig)	Evaluate type	<class 'matplotlib.figure.Figure'>

💡 All steps completed, figure object created and confirmed

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After plt.figure()	Final
fig	undefined	Figure object	Figure object

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why do we assign plt.figure() to a variable?

Assigning plt.figure() to a variable like fig lets us control and modify that specific figure later, as shown in execution_table step 2.

Does plt.figure() display the figure automatically?

No, plt.figure() only creates the figure object. To display it, you need to call plt.show() or save it, which is not shown in the execution sample.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what type is the variable fig after step 2?

A matplotlib.pyplot

B matplotlib.figure.Figure

C None

D int

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column in step 2 of the execution_table.

At which step is the figure object created?

A Step 2

B Step 3

C Step 1

D No figure created

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Action' and 'Result' columns in the execution_table.

If we do not assign plt.figure() to a variable, what happens?

A Figure is displayed automatically

B Code will error immediately

C Figure is created but we cannot modify it later easily

D Nothing happens

💡 Hint

Refer to key_moments about why assignment is important.

Concept Snapshot

plt.figure() creates a new empty figure object.
Assign it to a variable to modify or add plots.
It does not display the figure automatically.
Use plt.show() to display the figure.
Useful for creating multiple figures in one script.

Full Transcript

This lesson shows how plt.figure() creates a new figure object in matplotlib. First, we import matplotlib.pyplot as plt. Then, calling plt.figure() creates a new empty figure. Assigning it to a variable like fig lets us control it later. Printing type(fig) confirms it is a Figure object. Note that plt.figure() does not display the figure; you must call plt.show() to see it. This method is useful when you want to create multiple figures or customize figures before displaying or saving them.