Plotting functions in two dimensions

Function plots are integral in mathematics for visualizing properties such as roots and extreme points. This recipe explores how to create function plots in a coordinate system easily. Let’s plot the polynomial function f(x) = x3 - 5x.

How to do it...

We’ll use the pgfplots package, built on PGF/TikZ. Now, it’s set to plot a function for us. Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Start with a document class. We decided on the standalone class for this recipe, which is great for creating single graphics with just a small margin. However, you can choose the article class or another one as well:

   \documentclass[border=10pt]{standalone}

2. Load the pgfplots package:

   \usepackage{pgfplots}

3. Begin the document and open a tikzpicture environment:

   \begin{document}
     \begin{tikzpicture}

4. Begin an axis environment with centered axis lines:

       \begin{axis} [axis lines=center]

5. Call the...