Plotting histograms

Let's see how to plot histograms in this recipe. We'll compare two sets of data and build a comparative histogram.

How to do it…

1. Create a new Python file, and import the following packages:

   import numpy as np
   import matplotlib.pyplot as plt 

2. We'll compare the production quantity of apples and oranges in this recipe. Let's define some values:

   # Input data
   apples = [30, 25, 22, 36, 21, 29]
   oranges = [24, 33, 19, 27, 35, 20]
   
   # Number of groups
   num_groups = len(apples)

3. Create the figure and define its parameters:

   # Create the figure
   fig, ax = plt.subplots()
   
   # Define the X axis
   indices = np.arange(num_groups)
   
   # Width and opacity of histogram bars
   bar_width = 0.4
   opacity = 0.6

4. Plot the histogram:

   # Plot the values
   hist_apples = plt.bar(indices, apples, bar_width, 
           alpha=opacity, color='g', label='Apples')
   
   hist_oranges = plt.bar(indices + bar_width, oranges, bar_width,
           alpha=opacity, color='b', label=&apos...