What is the purpose of the 'histogram' function in MATLAB?

The 'histogram' function in MATLAB is used specifically to create a histogram plot, which is a graphical representation that organizes a group of data points into specified ranges, known as bins. This visualization allows for the examination of the distribution of a dataset, illustrating how often each range of values occurs within the dataset.

By utilizing the histogram, users can easily observe the patterns, central tendency, and variability of the data, aiding in the understanding of its distribution characteristics. This is particularly useful in statistics and data analysis, where understanding the distribution is key to making inferences or conclusions about the data.

In contrast, a bar graph typically represents categorical data rather than numerical ranges, scatter plots allow for the visualization of the relationship between two numerical variables, and calculating statistical measures involves using specific functions rather than visualizing data. Thus, the specific design and functionality of the 'histogram' function accurately aligns with the goal of creating histograms for effective data visualization.