How can I python plot histogram using Matplotlib with a list of data?
If I have a list of y-values that correspond to bar height and a list of x-value strings, how do I plot a histogram using matplotlib.pyplot.hist?
I’ve worked a lot with matplotlib! If your data includes specific x-values for each bar (like categories), you might want to use matplotlib.pyplot.bar() instead of plt.hist. Histograms are generally better for numerical data, while bar charts are great for categorical data. This would give you a clear visualization when dealing with strings as x-values.
That’s a solid point! Adding to it—if you’re working with purely numerical data, then sticking to matplotlib.pyplot.hist() is a good call for plotting a histogram. If you do have categorical x-values, you could first convert them into numerical equivalents (like mapping strings to integers) and then feed them into plt.hist. This is particularly useful if you’re determined to stick with histograms for visualization.
For even more flexibility, you could preprocess your data with numpy. Converting your dataset into a numerical array using numpy not only simplifies operations but also makes plotting with matplotlib.pyplot.hist() much smoother, especially for larger datasets. Plus, numpy lets you control bin sizes and ranges, which gives you better control over your python plot histogram. It’s definitely my go-to approach for efficient plotting.