Data Visualization - Python Histogram (Using Pyplot interface of Matplotlib Library)

A histogram is a graphical display of data using bars of different heights. In a histogram, each bar groups numbers into ranges. 

• Taller bars show that more data falls in that range. 
• hist( ) function is used for generating histogram in Pyplot. 

Difference Between Bar Chart and Histogram

Use of Histogram (by an example)

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import matplotlib.pyplot as plt n = [1,4,7,12,13,15] plt.hist(n, bins=[1,5,10,15]) plt.show() ## Note: By default the bins will be divided automatically. ## Python checks the lowest and highest values from the given numbers and divide in the equal size bins.

hist( ) function Prototype

<matplotlib.pyplot>.hist(x, bins = None, cumulative = Flase, histtype = 'bar', align = 'mid', orientation= 'vertical')

X: Array or sequence of arrays to be plotted on Histogram

bins: an integer or sequence, used to divide the range in the histogram

cumulative: True or False, Default is False

histtype: {'bar', 'barstacked', 'step', 'stepfilled'}, Default 'bar'

align: {'left', 'mid', 'right'}, default is 'mid'

orientation: {'horizontal', 'vertical'}, Default 'horizontal'

Explanation of Different parameters:

• X (Data): Array or sequence of arrays to be plotted on Histogram

• a) Single Array
  

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  import matplotlib.pyplot as plt l = [1,4,7,12,13,15] plt.hist(l) plt.show()

  Find the output of the above program, all the bucket or bins taken by the Python by default.
  
• b) Tow or more than two arrays

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  import matplotlib.pyplot as plt a = [1,4,7,12,13,15] b = [10,14,17,2,3,11] plt.hist([a,b]) plt.show()

  Since in the above program, we are providing two sequences here the Python will generated two histograms as below:
  

• bins: an integer or sequence, used to divide the range in the histogram

• a) Automatic bins: In the previous two examples you can see that I have not given bins parameter. Bin is dividing automatically.
• b) Giving the bins Manually 
  i) Using Scalar Value
  

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  import matplotlib.pyplot as plt a = [1,4,7,12,13,15] plt.hist(a, bins=5) plt.show()

  You can see I have given bins as 5, hence python will create 5 bins of equal size. 
  
  
  ii) Using list
  

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  import matplotlib.pyplot as plt a = [1,4,7,12,13,15] plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15]) plt.show()

  In the above program, since we are giving bins as a list, hence now bins will be 1-5,5-10 and 10-15.
  

• cumulative: To make a cumulative histogram, by default it is False

Cumulative mean accumulating the previous height of the bar, It can be either True or False, default is False. Till now we have seen all histogram with a default value of cumulative, that is with False. If we make the value of cumulative as True for the previous example: 

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import matplotlib.pyplot as plt a = [1,4,7,12,13,15] plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], cumulative=True) plt.show()

The output will be like this:

• histtype: This gives the style to the histogram.
  

• 'bar' [Defaut]
• 'barstacked': Used when providing two or more arrays as data
• 'step': generate a line plot that is by default unfilled  
• 'stepfilled': generate a filled line plot

Cosider the following example:

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import matplotlib.pyplot as plt a = [1,4,7,12,13,15] b = [11,14,17,2,3,12] plt.subplot(2,2,1) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], histtype='bar') plt.title("bar") ##barstacked is used with two or more data arrays plt.subplot(2,2,2) plt.hist([a,b], bins=[1,5,10,15], histtype='barstacked') plt.title("barstacked") plt.subplot(2,2,3) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], histtype='step') plt.title("step") plt.subplot(2,2,4) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], histtype='stepfilled') plt.title("stepfilled") plt.show()

Consider the following output containing all types of graphs in a single plot:

• align: Used for Histogram bars alignment{'left', 'mid', 'right'}, default is 'mid'

It is used for bar alignment, consider the following code which is using all types of alignments.

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import matplotlib.pyplot as plt a = [1,4,7,12,13,15] plt.subplot(1,3,1) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], align='mid') plt.title("MID") plt.subplot(1,3,2) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], align='right') plt.title("RIGHT") plt.subplot(1,3,3) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], align='left') plt.title("LEFT") plt.show()

The above code will generate following output:

• orientation: Used for making a histogram 'horizontal' or 'vertical' [Default]

Consider the following code which generates Horizontal and Vertical histogram for the same data: 

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import matplotlib.pyplot as plt a = [1,4,7,12,13,15] plt.subplot(1,2,1) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], orientation='horizontal') plt.title("HORIZONTAL") plt.subplot(1,2,2) plt.hist(a, bins=[1,5,10,15], orientation='vertical') plt.title("VETICAL") plt.show()

this will generate the following output: