Vector Fields

Quiver, compass, feather, and stream plots

Vector fields can model velocity, magnetic force, fluid motion, and gradients. Visualize vector fields in a 2-D or 3-D view using the quiver, quiver3, and streamline functions. You can also display vectors along a horizontal axis or from the origin.

Three figures showing quiver, contour, and streamline plots

Functions

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Vector or Arrow Plots

`quiver`	Quiver or vector plot
`quiver3`	3-D quiver or vector plot
`compassplot`	Polar plot with arrows emanating from origin (Since R2024b)
`feather`	Arrows from x-axis

Stream Plots

`streamline`	Plot streamlines from 2-D or 3-D vector data
`streamslice`	Plot streamlines in slice planes

Properties

Quiver Properties	Quiver chart appearance and behavior
Line Properties	Chart line appearance and behavior

Topics

Combine Contour Plot and Quiver Plot
Display contour lines and gradient vectors on the same plot.
Display Streamlines Using Vector Data
Visualize air currents in 3-D using streamlines, slice planes, and contours on the same plot.
Create Stream Particle Animations
Visualize the speed and direction of particles within vector fields using streamlines.