computer science

QtiPlot

QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot rather than just read about it. In short: QtiPlot is a cross-platform computer program for interactive scientific graphing and data analysis. It is similar to Origin or SigmaPlot.

Key takeaways

QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of QtiPlot from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

QtiPlot is a cross-platform computer program for interactive scientific graphing and data analysis. It is similar to Origin or SigmaPlot. QtiPlot can be used to present 2D and 3D data and has various data analysis functions like curve fitting. Plotting of 3D data can be rendered using OpenGL using the Qwt3D libraries. The program is also extensible to a considerable degree via muParser and Python scripting language, which allows adding the arbitrary user-defined functions with access to graphs, matrices and data tables. Older QtiPlot versions up to 0.9.8.9 were released under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) and are available also as binaries for Linux distribution repositories as well as for Windows. Starting with version 0.9.9 the source code is not available from the author anymore. Compiled binaries are available for Microsoft Windows, several Linux distributions and Mac OS X, including the new ARM M1 chips; downloading binaries from the author's website requires purchase of an annual maintenance contract. Files saved by version 0.9.9 cannot be loaded by version 0.9.8.

Alternatives

SciDAVis, forked from QtiPlot in 2007 LabPlot, free, open source and cross-platform Fityk, MagicPlot more focused on curve fitting peak-o-mat, similar to Fityk HippoDraw, focussed on graphing Veusz, written in Python ParaView, for visualizing huge datasets gnuplot, command-line program for two- and three-dimensional plots

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with QtiPlot

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot

In research: QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot 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: QtiPlot is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Plotting software, Regression and curve fitting software, Software that uses Qt, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for QtiPlot 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study QtiPlot in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is QtiPlot in simple terms?

QtiPlot is a cross-platform computer program for interactive scientific graphing and data analysis. It is similar to Origin or SigmaPlot.

Why does QtiPlot 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 QtiPlot?

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 QtiPlot.