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What is the algorithm Mathematica uses to detrmine the automatic range for plotting?

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  • Subject: [mg84861] What is the algorithm Mathematica uses to detrmine the automatic range for plotting?
  • From: "Nasser Abbasi" <nma at 12000.org>
  • Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:07:50 -0500 (EST)

In Mathematic 6, when I do say

Plot[PDF[ChiSquareDistribution[0.2], x], {x, 0, 10}, PlotRange -> {{0, 10}, 
Automatic}]

You'll see that it decided on some cut-off for the plot on the y-axis, which 
seems reasonable.

Documentation says that 'outlying points are dropped'

How does it decide where to do the cut of? and more importantly, can one 
query this automatic range using some command or option?

I know offcourse I could do this

p=Plot[...]
FullForm[p]

and I see what the full command used, and I see the plot range used, which 
in the above example is

    "PlotRange -> {{0, 10}, {0., 0.0616513786100442}}"

But how can one obtain information,  from FullForm in the code? Is there an 
API to query FullForm of expressions for subexpressions in it? Parse it? 
Search it?

thanks,
Nasser



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