How can I draw graphs by hand?

[Bipolarity]

I would like to draw plots by hand. Which means I can create the plot, label the axes, and then draw lines on it without having to write their equation. I can also control how the plot looks visually, such as color, scaling etc.

What program can I do this with? More specifically, can I do this with Maple 14?

BiP

 

[Integral]

If you want to draw plots by hand, what do you need software for?

 

[Mark44]

Or do you mean that you want to draw plots of graphs programmatically? That is not the same as drawing them by hand.

I would like to draw plots by hand. Which means I can create the plot, label the axes, and then draw lines on it without having to write their equation.

How can you plot a graph without knowing the equation of the function you're graphing? That makes no sense.

 

[Bipolarity]

Dang sorry for confusion guys.

By hand I mean I can draw the line as I would using paint rather than having to write the line's equation.

The problem with paint is that I cannot easily use it to label axes (the vertical axes should have its characters vertically; I can't seem to do that in paint).

Also in paint, I can't draw perpendicular lines.

Let me explain what I'm trying to do. I'm writing an economics paper, and need to draw supply and demand lines. They are merely sketches to show qualitative results. But how can draw the supply and demand lines without having to write their equation? And how would I label the axes?

BiP

 

[Bill Simpson]

Would it be acceptable to import an image into Paint that supplied your axes and labels? Then you could use the "line tool" supplied by Paint to place two points on the image and have it draw a line between those. And you can choose line color, thickness, etc.

If all this is feasible then we have reduced your problem to "Where can I get images with axes and labels like this?" That problem is perhaps better defined and easier to answer, just as soon as we can get the specific description of the axes and labels.

 

[Bipolarity]

Would it be acceptable to import an image into Paint that supplied your axes and labels? Then you could use the "line tool" supplied by Paint to place two points on the image and have it draw a line between those. And you can choose line color, thickness, etc.

If all this is feasible then we have reduced your problem to "Where can I get images with axes and labels like this?" That problem is perhaps better defined and easier to answer, just as soon as we can get the specific description of the axes and labels.

Yup! Exactly what I was thinking but only after reading your post did decided to try it! Maple allows me to draw axes and all label them and all the like but it does not draw lines unless I give equations.

However, Maple allows me to export my graph as a JPEG/bitmap type image which I can edit with paint to supply the lines and use text to label the lines.

Then I finally have my graph in image format! The only problem is that after I use paint I cannot change the axis/label properties of the graph using Maple. So the initial defining of the graph with the axis and axis label must be done meticulously,.

Thank you!

BiP

 

[Bill Simpson]

One other possibility. You could learn just enough Postscript or PCL, whatever page description language your smart printer of choice uses, and write up a small program in that language to make the printer draw and label your axes and then draw your lines. Doing nothing more complicated than that should mean you only have to learn a handful of commands. Revising the graph then means just editing a few constants in your program.

Another possibility is to have Maple draw both the axes and the lines between points entered by you. It could then display the result for quick verification and when acceptable it could export the image.

 

[gsal]

If what you want is to "draw" stuff, then maybe Inkscape could be another option.