Three-Dimensional (3D) Graphing Tutorial

What is a 3D graph?

A 3D graph has three axises, that represent variables in the experiment or equation. The type of 3D graph we are going to be investigating has independent variables on all the axises, and the dependent variable is represented by color. This differs from surface graphs which have the dependent variable on one axis and the independent variables on the other axises. A surface graph shows the surface of a function and is a type of 3D graph, but not the type that we are not going to investigate. In this tutorial a 3D graph will have three independent variables on three axis and the dependent variable will always be represented by color. A more detailed description between a surface graph and a 3D graph.

What can 3D graphing do for you?

Three-dimensional graphing allows you to:

see how the three independent variables influence one dependent variable.

view any slice of the 3D cube of data where one variable is fixed.

look into the 3D figure using "voxel volume translucency."

To email the Elsa Laughlin surp (Summer Undergraduate Research Program) student who wrote the tutorial. emlaughl@mhc.mtholyoke.edu
To email the Dr. Ron Kriz the Virginia Tech Faculty who will continue to expand the site after the summer of 1996 rkriz@vt.edu

Last revised July 23, 1996
http://www.sv.vt.edu/class/surp/surp96/laughlin/stat/3D_tutor/3D_tutor.html