**Course Title:** MATLAB Programming: Applications in Engineering, Data Science, and Simulation **Section Title:** Plotting and Data Visualization **Topic:** Working with multiple plots and subplots **Introduction** In the previous topic, we explored the basics of 2D plotting in MATLAB. However, in many cases, you'll want to visualize multiple plots together to compare data or showcase relationships between different variables. In this topic, we'll delve into the world of multiple plots and subplots, teaching you how to create and customize them using MATLAB. **Multiple Plots** MATLAB allows you to create multiple plots in the same figure window using the `plot` function. When you call `plot` multiple times, MATLAB creates a new plot on top of the existing one. To avoid overwriting plots, you can use the `hold` function. **Example 1: Plotting multiple lines** ```matlab x = 0:0.1:10; y1 = sin(x); y2 = cos(x); plot(x, y1); hold on; plot(x, y2); ``` In this example, we create two lines representing the sine and cosine functions. The `hold on;` statement allows us to plot both lines in the same figure. **Subplots** Subplots are individual plots that share the same figure window but are displayed in a grid-like structure. You can create subplots using the `subplot` function. **Example 2: Creating a subplot** ```matlab x = 0:0.1:10; y1 = sin(x); y2 = cos(x); subplot(1, 2, 1); % Create a subplot in the first column plot(x, y1); title('Sine Function'); subplot(1, 2, 2); % Create a subplot in the second column plot(x, y2); title('Cosine Function'); ``` In this example, we create two subplots in a 1x2 grid. The `subplot(1, 2, 1)` function creates a subplot in the first column, and the `subplot(1, 2, 2)` function creates a subplot in the second column. **Customizing Subplots** You can customize subplots using various functions, such as `set`, `xlabel`, `ylabel`, and `title`. You can also adjust the layout of subplots using the `annotation` function. **Example 3: Customizing subplots** ```matlab x = 0:0.1:10; y1 = sin(x); y2 = cos(x); subplot(1, 2, 1); % Create a subplot in the first column plot(x, y1); title('Sine Function'); xlabel('x'); ylabel('y'); set(gca, 'FontSize', 16); % Set the font size of the axes subplot(1, 2, 2); % Create a subplot in the second column plot(x, y2); title('Cosine Function'); xlabel('x'); ylabel('y'); set(gca, 'FontSize', 16); % Set the font size of the axes s = sprintf('Sine and Cosine Functions'); % Create a title for the figure annotation('textbox', [0.45 0.9 0.1 0.1], 'String', s, 'FontSize', 20); ``` In this example, we customize the subplots by adding titles, labels, and setting the font size of the axes. We also create a title for the figure using the `annotation` function. **Best Practices** When working with multiple plots and subplots, keep in mind the following best practices: * Use `hold on;` to avoid overwriting plots. * Use `subplot` to create multiple plots in the same figure. * Customize subplots using `set`, `xlabel`, `ylabel`, and `title`. * Use `annotation` to adjust the layout of subplots. **Additional Resources** For more information on multiple plots and subplots, see the [MATLAB documentation on plotting](https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/creating_plots.html). **Practice Time** Try creating a figure with multiple subplots to visualize different data sets. Experiment with customizing subplots using various functions. **Leave a Comment or Ask for Help** If you have any questions or need help with the material, please leave a comment below. We'll do our best to assist you. **What's Next?** In the next topic, we'll introduce 3D plotting in MATLAB. We'll cover mesh, surface, and contour plots, and explore how to create stunning visualizations using MATLAB.