![](https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/uploaded_files/331868/image.png)
How to prevent overlapping of graph lines?
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Hi,
I want to plot (x,y1), (x,y2) and (x,y3) on the same graph where
x = [20000, 40000, 60000, 80000, 100000]
y1 = [100232986, 397895944, 900510601, 1597421811, 2494526740]
y2 = [260952, 561980, 877225, 1203434, 1536068]
y3 = [359227, 716397, 1088346, 1580845, 1997379]
However, when I plot these on the same graph its very difficult to distinguish between (x,y2) and (x,y3). They look as if they overlap. How can I make all of them visible (no overlapping)? They have to be on the same graph and I dont want to use semilogy. I want all of them to look like increasing functions as they are.
The code I used:
x = [20000, 40000, 60000, 80000, 100000]
y1 = [100232986, 397895944, 900510601, 1597421811, 2494526740]
y2 = [260952, 561980, 877225, 1203434, 1536068]
y3 = [359227, 716397, 1088346, 1580845, 1997379]
plot(x,y1)
hold on
plot(x,y2)
hold on
plot(x,y3)
0 Comments
Answers (1)
Star Strider
on 14 Jul 2020
Edited: Star Strider
on 14 Jul 2020
Use a logarithmic y-axis:
x = [20000, 40000, 60000, 80000, 100000];
y1 = [100232986, 397895944, 900510601, 1597421811, 2494526740];
y2 = [260952, 561980, 877225, 1203434, 1536068];
y3 = [359227, 716397, 1088346, 1580845, 1997379];
figure
semilogy(x,y1)
hold on
plot(x,y2)
plot(x,y3)
hold off
grid
legend('y_1', 'y_2', 'y_3', 'Location','E')
producing:
![](https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/uploaded_files/331868/image.png)
EDIT — (14 Jul 2020 at 20:36)
Added plot image.
.
2 Comments
Star Strider
on 15 Jul 2020
My pleasure.
Note that they do not ‘overlap’. They have such significantly different amplitudes (on the order of
) that the ordinary linear scaling prevents ‘y2’ and ‘y3’ from being distinguished from 0.
![](https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/uploaded_files/332117/image.png)
The only other option I can offer is:
figure
yyaxis left
plot(x,y1)
yyaxis right
plot(x,y2)
hold on
plot(x,y3)
hold off
grid
legend('y_1', 'y_2', 'y_3', 'Location','E')
producing:
![](https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/uploaded_files/332120/image.png)
The yyaxis function was introduced in R2016a. If you have an earlier release, use plotyy instead (with different code).
Another option is to plot each one in a subplot or stackedplot (R2018b and later), however I got the impression that you wanted them plotted on the same axes.
.
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