25.2.4 The Function Tab

The Function tab allows you to create and plot Origin datasets using Mathematica functions.

The Function Tab .png

The Function Plot Group

The f(x)= text box should be used to specify a function of the type F(x) recognizable to Mathematica. Note that Mathematica is case sensitive and so the function name should follow the exact Mathematica specification. The From and To text boxes should be used to specify the starting and ending x values for computing and plotting the function.

The Points radio button and associated text box allows you to specify the number of points that are calculated for the function. The Increment radio button and associated text box allows you to specify the spacing value between consecutive points that are calculated for the function.

The Plot Button

The Plot button sends the function to Mathematica, receives equally incremented X values (either the specified increment or the specified number of values), and receives the calculated Y values for each of these points. An Origin workbook is created that holds the X and Y values, and the data is plotted into an Origin graph window. Note that the workbook is created as a hidden object and can be viewed using the Project Explorer window in Origin.

NOTE: If you wish to work with a user-defined function in Mathematica, you could use the following approach: Launch the Mathematica application directly and define and save your user-defined function a to disk file using the Mathematica Save[] command. Then you can load the function from disk to the kernel using the Evaluate tab described in the next section. Once the function has been loaded, it can then be used to plot an Origin graph using the Function tab.