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Machine Learning Academy · Lesson

Visualising Data with Matplotlib and Seaborn

Learners will plot histograms, scatter plots, and correlation heat maps to explore data distributions and relationships before modelling.

Visualising Data with Matplotlib and Seaborn is a free Machine Learning Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Machine Learning Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Why Visualisation Matters in ML

Charts aren't just for reports — they're a diagnostic tool at every step. Matplotlib gives full control; Seaborn makes beautiful stats plots with less code.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

# Set seaborn theme for all plots
sns.set_theme(style='whitegrid', palette='muted')

# Load a built-in dataset
df = sns.load_dataset('tips')
print(df.head())

Histograms: Understanding Distributions

A histogram bins a numeric column to show its shape — normal, skewed, or with outliers. Spotting skew tells you when a log transform might help your model.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns

df = sns.load_dataset('tips')

fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(12, 4))

# Raw distribution (right-skewed)
axes[0].hist(df['total_bill'], bins=30, edgecolor='white')
axes[0].set_title('Total Bill Distribution (Raw)')

# After log transform
import numpy as np
axes[1].hist(np.log(df['total_bill']), bins=30, edgecolor='white')
axes[1].set_title('Total Bill Distribution (Log Transformed)')

plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()

Scatter Plots: Feature Relationships

A scatter plot shows how two numbers relate — linear, curved, or full of outliers. Add color with hue to squeeze a third variable into the same view.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns

df = sns.load_dataset('tips')

# Scatter plot with hue encoding
sns.scatterplot(
    data=df,
    x='total_bill',
    y='tip',
    hue='time',      # encode meal time as colour
    size='size',     # encode party size as dot size
    alpha=0.7
)
plt.title('Tip vs Total Bill (coloured by Meal Time)')
plt.show()

Box Plots: Comparing Groups

A box plot shows the median, spread, and outliers across groups. If a feature's box looks very different per category, that feature is probably worth keeping.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns

df = sns.load_dataset('tips')

fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(12, 5))

sns.boxplot(data=df, x='day', y='total_bill', ax=axes[0])
axes[0].set_title('Bill by Day of Week')

sns.boxplot(data=df, x='smoker', y='tip', hue='sex', ax=axes[1])
axes[1].set_title('Tip by Smoking Status and Sex')

plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()

Correlation Heatmap: Finding Related Features

A correlation heatmap colors how strongly every pair of columns moves together. It reveals good predictors of your target — and redundant features to drop.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv('titanic.csv')

# Compute correlation matrix
corr = df[['Survived', 'Pclass', 'Age', 'SibSp', 'Parch', 'Fare']].corr()

# Plot heatmap
plt.figure(figsize=(8, 6))
sns.heatmap(
    corr,
    annot=True,     # show correlation values
    fmt='.2f',      # 2 decimal places
    cmap='RdYlGn',  # red-yellow-green colour scale
    vmin=-1, vmax=1
)
plt.title('Feature Correlation Matrix')
plt.show()

Pair Plots: Exploring All Feature Pairs

A pair plot shows scatter plots for every feature pair at once — a fast first look at a new dataset. Color by class to see which features separate the groups.

import seaborn as sns
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Use the iris dataset (classic ML benchmark)
df = sns.load_dataset('iris')

# Pair plot coloured by species
sns.pairplot(
    df,
    hue='species',
    diag_kind='kde',    # KDE on diagonal
    plot_kws={'alpha': 0.6}
)
plt.suptitle('Iris Dataset Pair Plot', y=1.02)
plt.show()

Bar Charts and Count Plots

A count plot shows how often each category appears — the quickest way to check class balance before training a classifier. Add hue to compare two categories.

import seaborn as sns
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

df = sns.load_dataset('titanic')

fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(12, 5))

# Class distribution (check balance)
sns.countplot(data=df, x='survived', ax=axes[0])
axes[0].set_title('Survival Count')

# Class by passenger class and sex
sns.countplot(data=df, x='class', hue='sex', ax=axes[1])
axes[1].set_title('Class Distribution by Sex')

plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()

Plotting Learning Curves

A learning curve plots training vs validation score as data grows. Both low means underfitting; a big gap means overfitting; both high and close means a good fit.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from sklearn.model_selection import learning_curve
from sklearn.tree import DecisionTreeClassifier
from sklearn.datasets import load_breast_cancer

X, y = load_breast_cancer(return_X_y=True)
train_sizes, train_scores, val_scores = learning_curve(
    DecisionTreeClassifier(max_depth=5), X, y, cv=5
)

plt.plot(train_sizes, train_scores.mean(axis=1), label='Training Score')
plt.plot(train_sizes, val_scores.mean(axis=1), label='Validation Score')
plt.xlabel('Training Set Size')
plt.ylabel('Accuracy')
plt.legend()
plt.title('Learning Curve')
plt.show()

Visualising Model Predictions

After training, plot the predictions. A confusion matrix heatmap shows where a classifier confuses labels — far more telling than a single accuracy number.

import seaborn as sns
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from sklearn.metrics import confusion_matrix
from sklearn.datasets import load_iris
from sklearn.tree import DecisionTreeClassifier
from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split

X, y = load_iris(return_X_y=True)
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, y, random_state=42)

model = DecisionTreeClassifier(max_depth=3)
model.fit(X_train, y_train)
y_pred = model.predict(X_test)

cm = confusion_matrix(y_test, y_pred)
sns.heatmap(cm, annot=True, fmt='d', cmap='Blues')
plt.xlabel('Predicted')
plt.ylabel('Actual')
plt.title('Confusion Matrix')
plt.show()

Saving and Customising Plots

Good plots need polish: titles, axis labels, and readable fonts. Save them with savefig at dpi=150+ for reports, and pick a colorblind-friendly palette.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
import numpy as np

# Create figure and axes explicitly
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(8, 5))

x = np.linspace(0, 10, 100)
ax.plot(x, np.sin(x), label='sin(x)', linewidth=2)
ax.plot(x, np.cos(x), label='cos(x)', linewidth=2, linestyle='--')

# Customise
ax.set_xlabel('x', fontsize=13)
ax.set_ylabel('y', fontsize=13)
ax.set_title('Sine and Cosine', fontsize=15, fontweight='bold')
ax.legend(fontsize=12)
ax.grid(True, alpha=0.3)

# Save
fig.savefig('plot.png', dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')
plt.show()

Distribution Plots with Seaborn

A violin plot blends a box plot with a density curve, showing the full shape of a distribution. Seaborn's displot and kdeplot are great for smooth comparisons.

import seaborn as sns
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

df = sns.load_dataset('tips')

fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(12, 5))

# Violin plot
sns.violinplot(data=df, x='day', y='total_bill', hue='sex',
               split=True, inner='quart', ax=axes[0])
axes[0].set_title('Bill Distribution by Day (Violin)')

# KDE distribution comparison
sns.kdeplot(data=df, x='tip', hue='time', fill=True, alpha=0.4, ax=axes[1])
axes[1].set_title('Tip Distribution by Meal Time (KDE)')

plt.tight_layout()
plt.show()

Quick Check

Test your understanding of Machine Learning with Python concepts from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

You learned to see your data: histograms and scatter plots reveal shape, heatmaps find predictors, and learning curves diagnose fit. Next: your first model! 🚀

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Visualising Data with Matplotlib and Seaborn” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Visualising Data with Matplotlib and Seaborn” is free to read here on the web, and the Machine Learning Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Machine Learning Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Visualising Data with Matplotlib and Seaborn”?

Learners will plot histograms, scatter plots, and correlation heat maps to explore data distributions and relationships before modelling. You practise Machine Learning Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Machine Learning Academy?

No prior experience is required. Machine Learning Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 4 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Visualising Data with Matplotlib and Seaborn” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Machine Learning Academy lesson?

Yes. Every Machine Learning Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. Installing Anaconda and Jupyter Notebook
  2. NumPy Essentials: Arrays and Math Operations
  3. Pandas for Data Manipulation
  4. Visualising Data with Matplotlib and Seaborn
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