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WINPLOT TUTORIAL

I. What is WinPlot
WinPlot is graphing software specifically designed to be compatible with MS Word. The software is freeware, meaning that it is a free download. You can download the software from http://math.exeter.edu/rparris/winplot.html. After you are taken to the web page download the version of WinPlot appropriate for your operating system. Note that all ofthe graphs in this document were created using WinPlot.

II. WinPlot overview
The icon to open WinPlot that should appear on your desktop after you download the program is:


Double-click on the icon to start WinPlot. This will open the WinPlot window.
You will want to select “Window” from the WinPlot taskbar. Practically all of our graphing will take place usingtwo-dimensions, so after selecting “Window” from the taskbar, then click on “2-dim”. We will now look at the items in the WinPlot menu that we will use and point out the features that we will need.
A. File
The most important features for us under “File” are
1. Save as…
This is the exact same feature as in Word. It is where you do your first save of a file to give ita name.
2. Save
This is also the exact same feature as in Word. It is how you save a file that you are working on and have modified.
3. Copy to clipboard
This is also the exact same feature as in Word. It copies your current file to the clipboard so that you can paste it into a Word document. Once you have your WinPlot file copied to the clipboard, go tothe Word document; locate where you want the graph to be, and then “paste”. Ctrl-v will paste from the clipboard or you can find it under “Edit” in Word or on the tool bar. Chances are you will have to re-size and re-position your WinPlot file in your Word document. This is done just like re-sizing and re-positioning anything in a Word document.
B. Equa
This menu item is where youwill be doing most of your work. We will utilize most of the items under Equa at some point. Here are the ones that we will be using. Note that if it does not appear in this list, we will not be using it.
1. Explicit
This is used if your equation is solved for y, which is to say it is of the form y = something about x. It is also utilized if you have functional notation,like f(x) = something about x. When you click on it, you type the expression in x in the box after f(x). For example, if you had y = 2x – 3 or f(x) = 2x – 3, you would just type “2x – 3”. You may choose a “color” for the graph as well. The “pen width” option, when checked, is a way to thicken your graph. The larger the pen width, the thicker the graph. When you are ready to have WinPlot draw yourgraph, click “ok”.


2. Implicit
This is used of your equation is not solved for y. For example if you have an equation like x2 – 3y = 5 or x = 3. In the box, you would type your equation. Use the caret, ^, which is the shift of the 6-key to enter exponents. So, for x2 – 3y = 5, we would enter x^2 – 3*y = 5”. Notice that you have to enter the equal sign. Again, you maychoose a color and pen width for your graph, and then click “ok”.
3. Point
This is used to plot a point in the plane, like (3, -4). When you click on this selection, you need to click on the first choice “(x, y)”, and then enter x, and then enter y. You then choose to you want a solid dot, like (, or circle or open dot, like (. You may also choose the color of your dot. Dot sizewill increase the size of your dot. The larger the number in the box, the larger the dot will be. The “anchors” option, when checked will draw dotted lines from the point to the coordinate axes to form a rectangle. When you are ready to plot your point, click “ok”.


4. Segment
This is used to draw a line segment connecting the points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2). After selecting...