The ability to visualize problems and their solutions makes it easier to develop and apply intuition. Mistakes in a solution often become readily apparent when the results are visualized. Visual aids are almost always necessary in order to effectively communicate engineering results. Collectively, the different types of visualization represent a significant fraction of all engineering activity. As a result, engineering has a rich tradition surrounding the use of simple plots.
Plots represent represent the bulk of the visual aids used in engineering reports.
Your ability to effectively incorporate plots into your writing will dramatically affect how your writing is perceived. Although effective communication is no substitute for quality work, it is probably the next most important factor in engineering success. There are a wide variety of software packages available on workstations and personal computers for producing plots. Maple has a simple, though not especially flexible, plotting capability. As you advance in your career, you will doubtless use other plotting packages.