Mathematica 9 is now available
SEARCH MATHEMATICA 8 DOCUMENTATION
THIS IS DOCUMENTATION FOR AN OBSOLETE PRODUCT.
SEE THE DOCUMENTATION CENTER FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
Mathematica > Visualization and Graphics > Graphics Options & Styling > Plotting Options >
Built-in Mathematica SymbolTutorials »|See Also »|More About »

Contours

Contours
is an option for contour plots that specifies the contours to draw.
  • The following settings can be given for Contours:
ncontours at n equally spaced levels
Automaticcontours chosen automatically
{Automatic,n}at most n contours chosen automatically
{f1,f2,...}contours at levels fi
{{f1,gr1},...}contours drawn with graphics directives gri
funca function to be applied to zmin, zmax to get the list of contours
  • With Automatic settings, "nice" equally spaced contour levels are chosen, whose values minimize the number of digits in their decimal representation.
  • ContourPlot and ContourPlot3D let you give an equation fEqualg or a list of equations as a way to specify single contours to draw.
EXAMPLESCLOSE ALL
Basic Examples   (4)
Automatically select contours:
Select three equally spaced contours:
Specify an explicit set of contours:
Select five contour surfaces in three dimensions:
Automatically select contours:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
 
Select three equally spaced contours:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
 
Specify an explicit set of contours:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
 
Select five contour surfaces in three dimensions:
In[1]:=
Click for copyable input
Out[1]=
New in 2 | Last modified in 6
Ask a question about this page  |  Suggest an improvement  |  Leave a message for the team