Good Biology graphing programs?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the search for effective graphing programs suitable for biology, particularly focusing on alternatives to Excel. Participants share their experiences and recommendations for software that can handle varying uncertainties in data points and produce high-quality graphs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses dissatisfaction with Excel due to its limitations in handling different uncertainties for data points and the perceived quality of the graphs.
  • Another participant recommends Prism as a good statistical software for graphing.
  • A later reply mentions the cost of Prism after the trial period, suggesting it may be a consideration for future use in university.
  • Participants suggest gnuplot as an alternative, noting its steep learning curve but availability of tutorials online.
  • Additional software options are presented, including R for statistical analysis and graphing, Gnuplot for graph-oriented tasks, and GLE for more extensive graphical capabilities, all noted as free software.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the limitations of Excel and the potential of alternative software, but there is no consensus on which program is the best option, as preferences and experiences vary.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the learning curve associated with certain software, and the discussion includes considerations of cost and usability for high school and university contexts.

Who May Find This Useful

Students and professionals in biology or related fields looking for graphing software that accommodates varying data uncertainties and produces high-quality visualizations.

Cmunro
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I really don't like Excel for graphing for several reasons. The main issue is that it only has uniform uncertainties for all data points and you cannot put different uncertainties for different data points. I also just don't feel the graph looks good quality at all.

People I have asked suggest either doing it by hand or doing it on photoshop or illustrator. Both of these take time though. Surely someone has come up with a nice, easy system?

I'm going into my last year of high school, so I'm not really aware of what graphing packages are available. What do the biologists of this forum use?
 
Biology news on Phys.org
Prism is really good statistical software.
 
Thanks! I'll have a look.
 
Well I downloaded the free trial, and its great - but there's one catch. $300 if I actually wanted to use it for more than 30 days. Something to consider perhaps later on when I'm doing biology in uni :) Still, I'll do what I can with it for 30 days.

Do you know of any cheaper alternatives?
 
gnuplot. It has a pretty steep learning curve, unfortunately. The web is littered with tutorials, though.

- Warren
 
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