Basic Plots in R
Generate quick plots such as line graphs and scatter plots with built-in functions.
Basic Plots in R is a free R Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 1 of 3. Any 3 lessons of this learning path are free to read in full — after that, CoddyKit PRO unlocks every lesson, plus hands-on practice with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the R Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The R Academy course includes 3 lessons in total.
Getting Started with R Plots
Basic Plots in R
R provides built-in functions to create various types of plots for data visualization.
Creating a Scatter Plot
Use the plot() function to create scatter plots in R.
plot(mtcars$mpg, mtcars$hp, main='MPG vs Horsepower', xlab='Miles per Gallon', ylab='Horsepower', col='blue')Creating a Line Plot
Use plot() with type='l' to create a line chart.
x <- 1:10
y <- x^2
plot(x, y, type='l', col='red', main='Line Plot of x^2', xlab='X', ylab='Y')Creating a Bar Chart
Use barplot() to create bar charts for categorical data.
counts <- table(mtcars$cyl)
barplot(counts, col='green', main='Car Cylinder Count', xlab='Cylinders', ylab='Frequency')Creating a Histogram
Use hist() to visualize the distribution of a numerical variable.
hist(mtcars$mpg, col='purple', main='Histogram of MPG', xlab='Miles per Gallon')Creating a Boxplot
Use boxplot() to detect outliers and summarize data distribution.
boxplot(mtcars$mpg, main='Boxplot of MPG', col='orange')Adding Customizations
You can modify plots by changing colors, labels, and titles.
plot(mtcars$mpg, mtcars$hp, main='MPG vs Horsepower', xlab='MPG', ylab='HP', col='blue', pch=16)Saving a Plot
Use ggsave() or png() to save plots to a file.
png('plot.png')
plot(mtcars$mpg, mtcars$hp)
dev.off()Basic Plots Recap
Summary
In this lesson, you learned:
- How to create basic plots in R.
- How to customize plots with labels, colors, and titles.
- How to save plots as image files.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the “Basic Plots in R” lesson free?
Yes — any 3 lessons of the R Academy learning path, including “Basic Plots in R”, are free to read in full here on the web. After that, CoddyKit PRO unlocks every lesson, plus interactive practice with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. The R Academy course includes 3 lessons in total.
What will I learn in “Basic Plots in R”?
Generate quick plots such as line graphs and scatter plots with built-in functions. You practise R 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 R Academy?
No prior experience is required. R Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 1 of 3.
How long does the “Basic Plots in R” 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 R Academy lesson?
Yes. Every R 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
- Basic Plots in R
- Customization of Plots
- Saving and Exporting Graphics