Zoom and pan with toolbar in Matplotlib - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to import the matplotlib pyplot module.

Matplotlib

import matplotlib.[1] as plt

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Apyplot

Bplot

Ccharts

Dgraph

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'plot' instead of 'pyplot' causes import errors.

Trying to import 'charts' or 'graph' which do not exist in matplotlib.

The pyplot module in matplotlib is used for plotting graphs and provides the toolbar with zoom and pan.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to create a figure and axes for plotting.

Matplotlib

fig, ax = plt.[1]()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aplot

Bshow

Csubplots

Dfigure

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using plot() returns a line, not figure and axes.

Using figure() returns only the figure, no axes.

The subplots() function creates a figure and axes objects, which are needed to plot and use the toolbar.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to plot a simple line on the axes.

Matplotlib

ax.[1]([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aplot

Bdraw

Cshow

Dscatter

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using draw() which is not a method of axes.

Using show() which displays the figure but does not plot data.

The plot() method draws a line on the axes. Other options do not produce the correct line plot.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to enable the toolbar and display the plot with zoom and pan.

Matplotlib

plt.[1]()
plt.[2]()

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ashow

Bdraw

Cfigure

Dpause

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using figure() instead of draw() does not refresh the plot.

Using pause() is for animation, not toolbar activation.

draw() refreshes the figure to enable interactive features like zoom and pan. show() displays the plot window with the toolbar.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a plot with zoom and pan enabled and set the title.

Matplotlib

fig, ax = plt.[1]()
ax.[2]([10, 20, 30], [1, 4, 9])
ax.set_[3]('Zoom and Pan Example')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Asubplots

Bplot

Ctitle

Dxlabel

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using figure() instead of subplots() misses axes creation.

Using xlabel instead of title sets the x-axis label, not the title.

subplots() creates the figure and axes, plot() draws the line, and set_title() sets the plot title.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the zoom and pan tools in a matplotlib plot toolbar?

easy

A. To interactively explore different parts of the plot without changing the code

B. To permanently change the data shown in the plot

C. To save the plot as an image file

D. To add new data points to the plot

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the toolbar tools

   The zoom and pan tools allow users to move around and zoom into parts of the plot interactively.

2. Step 2: Identify the effect on the plot

   These tools do not change the data or save files; they only change the view temporarily.

3. Final Answer:

   To interactively explore different parts of the plot without changing the code -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Zoom and pan = interactive exploration [OK]

Hint: Zoom and pan change view, not data or files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking zoom changes data permanently
• Confusing pan with saving the plot
• Believing zoom adds data points

2. Which of the following code snippets correctly enables the default toolbar with zoom and pan in a matplotlib plot?

easy

A. plt.plot(x, y); plt.show()

B. plt.plot(x, y); plt.toolbar(True); plt.show()

C. plt.plot(x, y); plt.enable_toolbar(); plt.show()

D. plt.plot(x, y); plt.show(toolbar=True)

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall default toolbar behavior

   By default, matplotlib shows the toolbar with zoom and pan buttons when calling plt.show().

2. Step 2: Check the code snippets

   Only plt.plot(x, y); plt.show() is correct; other options use non-existent functions or wrong parameters.

3. Final Answer:

   plt.plot(x, y); plt.show() -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Default toolbar appears with plt.show() [OK]

Hint: Default toolbar shows with plt.show() alone [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to enable toolbar with non-existent functions
• Passing toolbar parameter to plt.show()
• Assuming toolbar is off by default

3. What will happen when you run this code and click the zoom button on the toolbar?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
x = [1, 2, 3, 4]
y = [10, 20, 25, 30]
plt.plot(x, y)
plt.show()

medium

A. Nothing happens because zoom is disabled by default

B. The plot will automatically zoom to the maximum y-value

C. You can draw a rectangle to zoom into a specific plot area

D. The plot will pan left and right automatically

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand zoom button behavior

   Clicking zoom lets you draw a rectangle on the plot to zoom into that area interactively.

2. Step 2: Analyze the code

   The code creates a simple plot with default toolbar enabled, so zoom works as expected.

3. Final Answer:

   You can draw a rectangle to zoom into a specific plot area -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Zoom button = draw rectangle zoom [OK]

Hint: Zoom button lets you select area to zoom [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking zoom auto-zooms to max value
• Confusing zoom with pan behavior
• Assuming zoom is off by default

4. You wrote this code but the zoom and pan buttons do not appear in the plot window:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.plot([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6])
plt.show(block=False)

What is the likely reason?

medium

A. You forgot to call plt.enable_toolbar()

B. Using block=False can prevent the toolbar from showing properly

C. Zoom and pan buttons are not available for line plots

D. You need to call plt.show() twice

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand block=False effect

   Using plt.show(block=False) can cause the plot window to not fully initialize, hiding toolbar buttons.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   No plt.enable_toolbar() function exists; zoom and pan are available for line plots; calling plt.show() twice is unnecessary.

3. Final Answer:

   Using block=False can prevent the toolbar from showing properly -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   block=False may hide toolbar [OK]

Hint: Avoid block=False to ensure toolbar shows [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming toolbar needs enabling function
• Thinking zoom/pan unavailable for line plots
• Calling plt.show() multiple times

5. You want to create a plot where users can zoom and pan only along the x-axis but not the y-axis. Which approach using matplotlib toolbar is correct?

hard

A. Use the default toolbar and restrict zoom/pan by setting ax.set_ylim() fixed limits

B. Disable the toolbar and write custom zoom/pan functions for x-axis only

C. Use the default toolbar and set ax.set_xlim() fixed limits to restrict y-axis zoom

D. Use the default toolbar and connect event handlers to limit zoom and pan on y-axis

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand default toolbar limits

   The default toolbar zooms and pans freely on both axes; setting fixed limits only restricts view but not zoom/pan behavior.

2. Step 2: Use event handlers to control zoom/pan

   To restrict zoom and pan only on x-axis, you need to connect event handlers that limit y-axis changes during zoom/pan.

3. Final Answer:

   Use the default toolbar and connect event handlers to limit zoom and pan on y-axis -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Event handlers control axis zoom/pan limits [OK]

Hint: Use event handlers to restrict zoom/pan axes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking fixed limits block zoom/pan completely
• Disabling toolbar unnecessarily
• Confusing x and y axis limits