Plot a Distribution Over a Histogram

How To... > Work with Graphs > Add Lines and Functions to Graphs > Plot a Distribution Over a Histogram

_img49

If you have a histogram and you want to see how well it approximates a given distribution, you can plot a function directly on the graph over the histogram bars.

1.	Select the graph.

2.	Choose Graph \| Scale \| Density.

This changes the graph’s axis from a frequency scale to a density scale. (The total area of the bins is 1.)

3.	Choose Graph \| Plot Function.

Enter the formula for the distribution. (You can see what distributions are available and what arguments they require by opening the Functions list in the formula editor. Instead of typing numeric values for parameters, you can use functions for the data (such as mean) that get their values from the data in the graph.)

_img50

To read about the available distributions, see Distribution Functions.

You can also have arguments in the distribution’s function linked to sliders. See Plot a Function You Can Vary Dynamically (Using a Slider).