This is a linkpost for https://dynomight.net/axes/

Say you want to plot some data. You could just plot it by itself:

Or you could put lines on the left and bottom:

Or you could put lines everywhere:

Or you could be weird:

Which is right? Many people treat this as an aesthetic choice. But I’d like to suggest an unambiguous rule.

Principles

First, try to accept that all axis lines are optional. I promise that readers will recognize a plot even without lines around it.

So consider these plots:

Which is better? I claim this depends on what you’re plotting. To answer, mentally picture these arrows:

Now, ask yourself, are the lengths of these arrows meaningful? When you draw that horizontal line, you invite people to compare those lengths.

You use the same principle for deciding if you should draw a y-axis line. As yourself [...]

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Outline:

(00:37) Principles

(01:23) Years vs. GDP

(02:23) Years vs. GDP again

(03:27) Years vs temperature

(04:22) Homeowners vs. cannabis

(05:04) Lines can also be used for evil

(06:50) Related advice

(07:31) Axis lines ≠ tick marks

(07:52) Matplotlib's tragic defaults

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First published:
March 6th, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Yay8SbQiwErRyDKGb/using-axis-lines-for-good-or-evil

Linkpost URL:
https://dynomight.net/axes/

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[Linkpost] “Using axis lines for good or evil” by dynomight

LessWrong (30+ Karma)