How to Draw a Stem Plot

In this lesson, we will learn how to draw a stem plot, which helps readers see the shape of a data set’s distribution.

We'll cover the following

stem plots are similar to scatter plots because there are no links between individual data points. However, stem plots include vertical lines that connect each data point to the baseline, while placing a marker at the tip. The stem plot has the advantage of being able to clearly show the shape of a data set’s distribution.

Below are some important parameters required by stem().

  • x: The position of the stems on the x-axis.
  • y: The position of the stem heads on the y-axis.
  • linefmt: A string defining the properties of the vertical lines.
  • markerfmt: A string defining the properties of the markers at the stem heads.
  • bottom: The position of the baseline on the y-axis.