fpolarplot

Plot expression or function in polar coordinates

Since R2024a

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Syntax

fpolarplot(f)

fpolarplot(f,[a b])

fpolarplot(___,LineSpec)

fpolarplot(___,Name=Value)

fpolarplot(pax,___)

fp = fpolarplot(___)

Description

fpolarplot(f) plots the curve defined by the expression or function r = f(theta) in polar coordinates over the default interval 0 ≤ theta ≤ 2π.

example

fpolarplot(f,[a b]) plots r = f(theta) over the specified interval a ≤ theta ≤ b.

example

fpolarplot(___,LineSpec) specifies the line style, marker symbol, and line color. For example, "-r" plots a solid red line. Use this option after any of the input argument combinations in the previous syntaxes.

example

fpolarplot(___,Name=Value) specifies line properties using one or more name-value arguments. For example, LineWidth=2 specifies a line width of 2 points.

example

fpolarplot(pax,___) plots into the PolarAxes object specified by pax instead of the current axes (gca).

fp = fpolarplot(___) returns a FunctionLine object. Use the object to query and modify properties of the plotted line. For a list of properties, see FunctionLine Properties.

example

Examples

collapse all

Polar Plot of Expression

Open Live Script

Create a polar plot of the expression $1 + \cos (θ)$ over the interval $0 \leq θ \leq 2 π$ .

f = @(t) 1 + cos(t);
fpolarplot(f)

Figure contains an axes object with type polaraxes. The polaraxes object contains an object of type functionline.

Specify Plotting Interval

Open Live Script

Plot $t^{2}$ over the interval $- 2 π \leq t \leq 2 π$ by specifying the plotting interval as the second input to fpolarplot.

f = @(t) t.^2;
fpolarplot(f,[-2*pi 2*pi])

Figure contains an axes object with type polaraxes. The polaraxes object contains an object of type functionline.

Plot Negative Radius Values

Open Live Script

Create a polar plot using negative radius values. By default, fpolarplot reflects negative values through the origin.

f = @(t) sin(t);
fpolarplot(f)

Figure contains an axes object with type polaraxes. The polaraxes object contains an object of type functionline.

Change the limits of the $r$ -axis so it ranges from –1 to 1.

rlim([-1 1])

Figure contains an axes object with type polaraxes. The polaraxes object contains an object of type functionline.

Change Line Properties

Open Live Script

Plot three curves in polar coordinates. Use a dash-dotted line for the first curve, a dashed line with a line width of 2 for the second curve, and a solid blue line for the third curve.

fpolarplot(@(t) t.^(1/4),"-.")
hold on
fpolarplot(@(t) t.^(2/3),"--",LineWidth=2)
fpolarplot(@(t) t,"-b")
legend
hold off

Figure contains an axes object with type polaraxes. The polaraxes object contains 3 objects of type functionline.

Modify Polar Plot After Creation

Open Live Script

Plot the curve $r = \sin (2 θ) \cos (2 θ)$ in polar coordinates, and return the function line object.

f = @(t) sin(2*t).*cos(2*t);
fp = fpolarplot(f)

Figure contains an axes object with type polaraxes. The polaraxes object contains an object of type functionline.

fp = 
  FunctionLine with properties:

     Function: @(t)sin(2*t).*cos(2*t)
        Color: [0 0.4470 0.7410]
    LineStyle: '-'
    LineWidth: 0.5000

  Use GET to show all properties

You can access and modify properties of the function line object by using dot notation. For example, change the color, line style, and line width.

fp.Color = "r";
fp.LineStyle = ":";
fp.LineWidth = 2;

Figure contains an axes object with type polaraxes. The polaraxes object contains an object of type functionline.

Input Arguments

collapse all

`f` — Function to plot
function handle

Function to plot, specified as a function handle to a named or anonymous function.

Specify a function of the form r = f(theta). The function must accept a vector input argument and return a vector output argument of the same size. Use array operators instead of matrix operators for the best performance. For example, use .* (times) instead of * (mtimes).

Example: fpolarplot(@(theta) theta.*sin(theta)) plots theta.*sin(theta) over the default interval, [0 2*pi].

`[a b]` — Interval for polar angle
`[0 2*pi]` (default) | two-element vector of form `[a b]`

Interval for the polar angle theta, specified as a two-element vector of the form [a b]. fpolarplot plots over the specified interval a ≤ theta ≤ b.

`pax` — `PolarAxes` object
`PolarAxes` object

PolarAxes object. You can modify the appearance and behavior of a PolarAxes object by setting its properties. For a list of properties, see PolarAxes Properties.

`LineSpec` — Line style, marker, and color
string scalar | character vector

Line style, marker, and color, specified as a string scalar or character vector containing symbols. The symbols can appear in any order. You do not need to specify all three characteristics (line style, marker, and color). For example, if you omit the line style and specify the marker, then the plot shows only the marker and no line.

Example: "--or" is a red dashed line with circle markers.

Line Style	Description	Resulting Line
`"-"`	Solid line
`"--"`	Dashed line
`":"`	Dotted line
`"-."`	Dash-dotted line

Marker	Description	Resulting Marker
`"o"`	Circle
`"+"`	Plus sign
`"*"`	Asterisk
`"."`	Point
`"x"`	Cross
`"_"`	Horizontal line
`"\|"`	Vertical line
`"square"`	Square
`"diamond"`	Diamond
`"^"`	Upward-pointing triangle
`"v"`	Downward-pointing triangle
`">"`	Right-pointing triangle
`"<"`	Left-pointing triangle
`"pentagram"`	Pentagram
`"hexagram"`	Hexagram

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet
`"red"`	`"r"`	`[1 0 0]`
`"green"`	`"g"`	`[0 1 0]`
`"blue"`	`"b"`	`[0 0 1]`
`"cyan"`	`"c"`	`[0 1 1]`
`"magenta"`	`"m"`	`[1 0 1]`
`"yellow"`	`"y"`	`[1 1 0]`
`"black"`	`"k"`	`[0 0 0]`
`"white"`	`"w"`	`[1 1 1]`

Name-Value Arguments

Specify optional pairs of arguments as Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN, where Name is the argument name and Value is the corresponding value. Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the pairs does not matter.

Example: fpolarplot(f,Marker="o",MarkerFaceColor="red")

The properties listed here are only a subset. For a full list, see FunctionLine Properties.

`Color` — Line color
`[0 0.4470 0.7410]` (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

Line color, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].
A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code
`"red"`	`"r"`	`[1 0 0]`	`"#FF0000"`
`"green"`	`"g"`	`[0 1 0]`	`"#00FF00"`
`"blue"`	`"b"`	`[0 0 1]`	`"#0000FF"`
`"cyan"`	`"c"`	`[0 1 1]`	`"#00FFFF"`
`"magenta"`	`"m"`	`[1 0 1]`	`"#FF00FF"`
`"yellow"`	`"y"`	`[1 1 0]`	`"#FFFF00"`
`"black"`	`"k"`	`[0 0 0]`	`"#000000"`
`"white"`	`"w"`	`[1 1 1]`	`"#FFFFFF"`

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB^® uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
`[0 0.4470 0.7410]`	`"#0072BD"`
`[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]`	`"#D95319"`
`[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]`	`"#EDB120"`
`[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]`	`"#7E2F8E"`
`[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]`	`"#77AC30"`
`[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]`	`"#4DBEEE"`
`[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]`	`"#A2142F"`

Example: "blue"

Example: [0 0 1]

Example: "#0000FF"

`LineStyle` — Line style
`"-"` (default) | `"--"` | `":"` | `"-."` | `"none"`

Line style, specified as one of the options listed in this table.

Line Style	Description	Resulting Line
`"-"`	Solid line
`"--"`	Dashed line
`":"`	Dotted line
`"-."`	Dash-dotted line
`"none"`	No line	No line

`LineWidth` — Line width
`0.5` (default) | positive value

Line width, specified as a positive value in points, where 1 point = 1/72 of an inch. If the line has markers, then the line width also affects the marker edges.

The line width cannot be thinner than the width of a pixel. If you set the line width to a value that is less than the width of a pixel on your system, the line displays as one pixel wide.

`Marker` — Marker symbol
`"none"` (default) | `"o"` | `"+"` | `"*"` | `"."` | ...

Marker symbol, specified as one of the values listed in this table. By default, the object does not display markers. Specifying a marker symbol adds markers at each data point or vertex.

Marker	Description	Resulting Marker
`"o"`	Circle
`"+"`	Plus sign
`"*"`	Asterisk
`"."`	Point
`"x"`	Cross
`"_"`	Horizontal line
`"\|"`	Vertical line
`"square"`	Square
`"diamond"`	Diamond
`"^"`	Upward-pointing triangle
`"v"`	Downward-pointing triangle
`">"`	Right-pointing triangle
`"<"`	Left-pointing triangle
`"pentagram"`	Pentagram
`"hexagram"`	Hexagram
`"none"`	No markers	Not applicable

`MarkerEdgeColor` — Marker outline color
`"auto"` (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

Marker outline color, specified as "auto", an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The default value of "auto" uses the same color as the Color property.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].
A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
`"red"`	`"r"`	`[1 0 0]`	`"#FF0000"`
`"green"`	`"g"`	`[0 1 0]`	`"#00FF00"`
`"blue"`	`"b"`	`[0 0 1]`	`"#0000FF"`
`"cyan"`	`"c"`	`[0 1 1]`	`"#00FFFF"`
`"magenta"`	`"m"`	`[1 0 1]`	`"#FF00FF"`
`"yellow"`	`"y"`	`[1 1 0]`	`"#FFFF00"`
`"black"`	`"k"`	`[0 0 0]`	`"#000000"`
`"white"`	`"w"`	`[1 1 1]`	`"#FFFFFF"`
`"none"`	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
`[0 0.4470 0.7410]`	`"#0072BD"`
`[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]`	`"#D95319"`
`[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]`	`"#EDB120"`
`[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]`	`"#7E2F8E"`
`[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]`	`"#77AC30"`
`[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]`	`"#4DBEEE"`
`[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]`	`"#A2142F"`

`MarkerFaceColor` — Marker fill color
`"none"` (default) | `"auto"` | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

Marker fill color, specified as "auto", an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The "auto" value uses the same color as the MarkerEdgeColor property.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].
A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color Name	Short Name	RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
`"red"`	`"r"`	`[1 0 0]`	`"#FF0000"`
`"green"`	`"g"`	`[0 1 0]`	`"#00FF00"`
`"blue"`	`"b"`	`[0 0 1]`	`"#0000FF"`
`"cyan"`	`"c"`	`[0 1 1]`	`"#00FFFF"`
`"magenta"`	`"m"`	`[1 0 1]`	`"#FF00FF"`
`"yellow"`	`"y"`	`[1 1 0]`	`"#FFFF00"`
`"black"`	`"k"`	`[0 0 0]`	`"#000000"`
`"white"`	`"w"`	`[1 1 1]`	`"#FFFFFF"`
`"none"`	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	No color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB Triplet	Hexadecimal Color Code	Appearance
`[0 0.4470 0.7410]`	`"#0072BD"`
`[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]`	`"#D95319"`
`[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]`	`"#EDB120"`
`[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]`	`"#7E2F8E"`
`[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]`	`"#77AC30"`
`[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]`	`"#4DBEEE"`
`[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]`	`"#A2142F"`

Example: [0.3 0.2 0.1]

Example: "green"

Example: "#D2F9A7"

`MarkerSize` — Marker size
`6` (default) | positive value

Marker size, specified as a positive value in points, where 1 point = 1/72 of an inch.

Version History

Introduced in R2024a

fpolarplot

Syntax

Description

Examples

Polar Plot of Expression

Specify Plotting Interval

Plot Negative Radius Values

Change Line Properties

Modify Polar Plot After Creation

Input Arguments

`f` — Function to plot
function handle

`[a b]` — Interval for polar angle
`[0 2*pi]` (default) | two-element vector of form `[a b]`

`pax` — `PolarAxes` object
`PolarAxes` object

`LineSpec` — Line style, marker, and color
string scalar | character vector

Name-Value Arguments

`Color` — Line color
`[0 0.4470 0.7410]` (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

`LineStyle` — Line style
`"-"` (default) | `"--"` | `":"` | `"-."` | `"none"`

`LineWidth` — Line width
`0.5` (default) | positive value

`Marker` — Marker symbol
`"none"` (default) | `"o"` | `"+"` | `"*"` | `"."` | ...

`MarkerEdgeColor` — Marker outline color
`"auto"` (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

`MarkerFaceColor` — Marker fill color
`"none"` (default) | `"auto"` | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

`MarkerSize` — Marker size
`6` (default) | positive value

Version History

See Also

Functions

Properties

fpolarplot

Syntax

Description

Examples

Polar Plot of Expression

Specify Plotting Interval

Plot Negative Radius Values

Change Line Properties

Modify Polar Plot After Creation

Input Arguments

f — Function to plot function handle

[a b] — Interval for polar angle [0 2*pi] (default) | two-element vector of form [a b]

pax — PolarAxes object PolarAxes object

LineSpec — Line style, marker, and color string scalar | character vector

Name-Value Arguments

Color — Line color [0 0.4470 0.7410] (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

LineStyle — Line style "-" (default) | "--" | ":" | "-." | "none"

LineWidth — Line width 0.5 (default) | positive value

Marker — Marker symbol "none" (default) | "o" | "+" | "*" | "." | ...

MarkerEdgeColor — Marker outline color "auto" (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

MarkerFaceColor — Marker fill color "none" (default) | "auto" | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | "r" | "g" | "b" | ...

MarkerSize — Marker size 6 (default) | positive value

Version History

See Also

Functions

Properties

`f` — Function to plot
function handle

`[a b]` — Interval for polar angle
`[0 2*pi]` (default) | two-element vector of form `[a b]`

`pax` — `PolarAxes` object
`PolarAxes` object

`LineSpec` — Line style, marker, and color
string scalar | character vector

`Color` — Line color
`[0 0.4470 0.7410]` (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

`LineStyle` — Line style
`"-"` (default) | `"--"` | `":"` | `"-."` | `"none"`

`LineWidth` — Line width
`0.5` (default) | positive value

`Marker` — Marker symbol
`"none"` (default) | `"o"` | `"+"` | `"*"` | `"."` | ...

`MarkerEdgeColor` — Marker outline color
`"auto"` (default) | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

`MarkerFaceColor` — Marker fill color
`"none"` (default) | `"auto"` | RGB triplet | hexadecimal color code | `"r"` | `"g"` | `"b"` | ...

`MarkerSize` — Marker size
`6` (default) | positive value