Re: [Matplotlib-users] scientific notation in ticklabels for linear plot

[Jonathan S. <js...@cf...>]

Friedrich,

Our e-mails crossed.  I don't think the numbers need to have the same
exponent.  I would go with (d) as my example does.  The more difficult
part to my mind is the number of significant digits to use.  The current
code that determines whether to use an offset or not must look at the
number of significant digits needed to represent the ticklabels.  To me
what would be optimal is to, by default, use scientific notation (when
the ticklabel numbers are larger or smaller than some range, say 10^3
and 10^-3) except when an offset is called for, say more than 3
significant digits are needed to represent the ticklabel numbers in
scientific notation.

Jon

On Tue, 2010-10-19 at 21:41 +0200, Friedrich Romstedt wrote:
> 2010/10/19 David Pine <dj...@gm...>:
> > I like the times symbol but others prefer the dot (which I missed in the gmane preview!).  So I like your suggestion of providing an option to use either \cdot or \times.
> 
> Okay, I'll try to look into it next week, is that okay with you both?
> I don't want to do it now since there might be more under the hood,
> just thinking about automatic exponent choice, I have a module for
> that, but it needs to pick up all the range the formatter spans over.
> 
> I'd say we also have use for three other configs of the exponent choice:
> a) largest
> b) smallest
> c) mean
> d) dynamic
> exponent.
> 
> Examples:
> (a)  0.001 10^2 ... 2.0 10^2
> (b)  1.0 10^-1 ... 200.0 10^-1
> (c)  0.01 10^1 ... 20.0 10^1
> (d)  1.0 10^-1 ... 2.0 10^2
> Sorry if there's some mistake but you see the principle.
> 
> Also the number of digits present need to be configurable ... enough for a week.
> 
> I favour (c) as the default, and 2 digits precision.
> 
> Friedrich
-- 
______________________________________________________________
Jonathan D. Slavin              Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
js...@cf...         60 Garden Street, MS 83
phone: (617) 496-7981           Cambridge, MA 02138-1516
 cell: (781) 363-0035           USA
______________________________________________________________