computer science

PSI-Plot

PSI-Plot is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PSI-Plot rather than just read about it. In short: PSI-Plot is a scientific and engineering data analysis and technical plotting software developed by Poly Software International, Inc. The software can read multiple formats and perform mathematical transforms and statistical analyses.

Key takeaways

PSI-Plot belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PSI-Plot to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PSI-Plot from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PSI-Plot is a scientific and engineering data analysis and technical plotting software developed by Poly Software International, Inc. The software can read multiple formats and perform mathematical transforms and statistical analyses. PSI-Plot is maintained on Microsoft Windows operating systems, and the current version is 9.5 for Windows 98 to Windows 7.

History PSI-Plot was developed by Poly Software International, Inc. in September 1992, under the name TechPlot for MS-DOS. The name was later changed to PS-Plot, and changed again to the current PSI-Plot. PSI-Plot later migrated from MS-DOS to the Microsoft Windows operating system. Currently, PSI-Plot is used by more than 75,000 scientists and engineers worldwide.

Capabilities PSI-Plot features an Excel-style spreadsheet where users can manage and analyze their data, perform various numerical calculations, solve their equations, and visualize their data in 2D and 3D graphics. Users can also import their data from various formats including Microsoft Excel, ASCII, CSV, Microsoft Access, and dBase. PSI-Plot also includes an eighteen-lesson tutorial for new users to introduce them to the basics of PSI-Plot.

Data Analysis PSI-Plot has implemented a broad ranges of commonly used data analysis methods, which include data interpolation, three different methods (Levenberg-Marquardt, Powell, and Simplex) for non-linear curve fitting, over one hundred built-in fitting models, multiple linear fitting, stepwise multiple liner fitting, generalized linear models (GMLs), dose-response analysis, digital signal processing (DSP), matrix manipulation and eigen-problems, ordinary differential equations (ODE) solvers, algebraic equation solvers, difference equation solvers, and other methods.

2D and 3D Plots PSI-Plot provides various 2D and 3D plot types and allows users to customize the graphics in great detail for visual presentations and for submission to research journals for publication. Users have full control of plot and label attributes, including background color, color gradients, size, and thickness. PSI-Plot supports 2D and 3D Cartesian coordinate systems as well as special coordinate systems such as polar, Smith, ternary (triangle), Nichols, cylindrical, and spherical systems.

Comparison with ProStat ProStat is the sister software to PSI-Plot. The differences between the two software are generally in extent or depth of a tool class rather than presence or absence. ANOVA in PSI-Plot becomes ANOVA, ANCOVA and MANOVA in ProStat, while the range of plot types in ProStat is extended in PSI-Plot by the addition of options such as Pareto charts, Smith curves, ternary, vector, and column plots. FFT is available in both, but extended differently according to the emphases of the different target users.

References

External links Poly Software International, Inc., official site

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PSI-Plot

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PSI-Plot claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PSI-Plot before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PSI-Plot ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PSI-Plot

In research: PSI-Plot appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PSI-Plot in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PSI-Plot is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Plotting software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PSI-Plot outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study PSI-Plot in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PSI-Plot means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PSI-Plot out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PSI-Plot in simple terms?

Why does PSI-Plot matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PSI-Plot?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PSI-Plot.