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How to Make an Empty Histogram With Matplotlib?

Published on
3 min read
How to Make an Empty Histogram With Matplotlib? image

To make an empty histogram using Matplotlib, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Import the necessary libraries: import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np
  2. Create an empty array or list to store the data points: data = np.array([])
  3. Set the number of bins and range for your histogram: bins = 10 range = (0, 100) # Example range from 0 to 100
  4. Create a figure and subplot using plt.subplots(): fig, ax = plt.subplots()
  5. Plot the empty histogram using ax.hist() with the data, no data values, number of bins, and range specified: ax.hist(data, bins=bins, range=range)
  6. Customize your histogram as desired by adding labels, title, gridlines, etc.
  7. Finally, display the plot using plt.show(): plt.show()

By following these steps, you can create an empty histogram with Matplotlib.

What is the purpose of an empty histogram?

The purpose of an empty histogram is to show the distribution of data before any data is actually plotted. An empty histogram provides the framework or structure to visualize the distribution of future data. It helps determine the number of bins, range, and shape of the histogram so that when data is added, it can be displayed in an organized and meaningful way.

What is the default binning strategy used in Matplotlib for an empty histogram?

The default binning strategy used in Matplotlib for an empty histogram is the "auto" strategy. This strategy automatically calculates the number and width of the bins based on the data range and the number of bins requested. By default, Matplotlib will try to choose a number of bins that provides a balance between having too few bins (which may result in loss of information) and too many bins (which may result in noisy and less meaningful representations).

How to change the line style of an empty histogram in Matplotlib?

To change the line style of an empty histogram in Matplotlib, you can use the set_linestyle method of the histogram line object. Here's an example:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

Create an empty histogram

hist, bins, patches = plt.hist([])

Get the first patch (histogram line) in the patches list

hist_line = patches[0]

Set the line style to dashed

hist_line.set_linestyle('dashed')

Display the plot

plt.show()

In this example, we first create an empty histogram using the hist function with an empty data array []. Then, we extract the histogram line object from the patches list using indexing (patches[0]). After that, we set the line style of the histogram line to 'dashed' using the set_linestyle method. Finally, we display the plot using plt.show().

What is the syntax for generating an empty histogram with Matplotlib?

To generate an empty histogram with Matplotlib, you can use the plt.hist() function with an empty data array and specify the appropriate number of bins. Here is an example:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

data = [] # empty data array bins = 10 # number of bins

plt.hist(data, bins) plt.show()

In this example, data is an empty array, and bins is the number of bins you want to create in the histogram. The plt.hist() function creates the histogram, and plt.show() displays it. Since the data array is empty, the histogram will not display any bars, effectively rendering an empty histogram.