Why does my log plot use ticks with fractional exponents in MATLAB?

Why does my log plot use ticks with fractional exponents in MATLAB 6.0 (R12) and later versions?

When I create a log plot that spans less than one decade, it sometimes uses tick marks with fractional exponents. This is not an industry standard, and is unexpected.

This worked fine in MATLAB 5.3.1 (R11.1), and also works fine in some cases, which is why I think it's a regression bug:

figure

subplot(1,2,1)

title('ticks are fine')

y=linspace(.1,.11,10);

semilogy(y)

subplot(1,2,2)

title('ticks have fractional exponents')

y=linspace(1.0,1.1,10);

semilogy(y)

I would expect the data to always show full decades.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

This is a possible bug in MATLAB 6.0 (R12) and later versions. It has been reported to our development staff to be investigated for a future release of MATLAB.

As a workaround, you can set the axes limits manually using the AXIS command. The following is an example:

figure

y=linspace(1.0,1.1,10);

semilogy(y)

axis([0 10 0 10])

For more information, type "doc axis" or "help axis" (without the quotes) at the MATLAB prompt.