Common Mistakes

1. Missing import

In the context of this course, we mostly use pyplot sublibrary of the matplotlib library of Python. Missing the import prohibits the array inputs, such as x and y, from being processed into an image. Please take a look at the example below.

# incorrect example

x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

y = [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

plt.plot(x,y)

plt.show()

This will result in the error below.

----> 4 plt.plot(x,y)

      5 plt.show()

NameError: name 'plt' is not defined

We can fix this issue simply by adding the import necessary. 

# correct example

x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

y = [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.plot(x,y)

plt.show()

2. Missing the specific features in the instructions

In some assignments, you may be asked about a few specific features, such as labelling the horizontal axis with a given text, vertical, or something else. If these specific features are missing from your plot, you may lose a grade during evaluation. So use the instructions as a checklist to see if you have done the things asked of you, and try to work on the things that are still missing.