An Introduction to MATLAB
Learning Objectives:
• Understand what MATLAB is.
• Know how to get started with MATLAB.
• Recognize the basics of MATLAB.
• know how to solve various problems
Be able to explore MATLAB on your own !
Contents
• Introduction
• Getting Started
• Vectors and Matrices
• Built in functions
• M–files : script and functions
Introduction
MATLAB – MATrix LABoratory
• Initially developed by a lecturer in 1970’s to help
students learn linear algebra.
• It was later marketed and further developed under
MathWorks Inc. (founded in 1984) –
www.mathworks.com
• Matlab is a software package which can be used to
perform analysis and solve mathematical and
engineering problems.
• It has excellent programming features and graphics
capability – easy to learn and flexible.
• Available in many operating systems – Windows,
Macintosh, Unix, DOS
• It has several tool boxes to solve specific problems.
Getting Started
Run MATLAB from Start Programs MATLAB
– command history, command window, workspace, etc
• For Matlab Student – only command window
Command window
• Main window – where commands are entered
Vectors and Matrices
Variables
ALL variables are matrices
e.g. 1 x 1 4x1 1x4 2x4
4 3 3 2 1 7 2 1 5 6
2 9 3 2 4
9
3
Variables
•They are case–sensitive i.e x X
•Their names can contain up to 31 characters
•Must start with a letter
Variables are stored in workspace
Rounding
• How do we assign a value to a variable?
>> v1=3 >> whos
v1 = Name Size Bytes Class
3 R 1x1 8 double array
>> i1=4 i1 1x1 8 double array
i1 = v1 1x1 8 double array
4 Grand total is 3 elements using 24 bytes
>> R=v1/i1 >> who
R= Your variables are:
0.7500 R i1 v1
>> >>
• Example:
>> A = [1 2 3 4 5] A row vector –
A =
1 2 3 4 5
values are
separated by
A 1 2 3 4 5
>> spaces
>> B = [10;12;14;16;18]
B = 10
10
A column
12
12
vector –
14 values are
separated
B 14
16
by semi–
18 colon (;) 16
>>
18
If we want to construct a vector of, say, 100 elements
between 0 and 2 – linspace
>> c1 = linspace(0,(2*pi),100);
>> whos
Name Size Bytes Class
c1 1x100 800 double array
Grand total is 100 elements using 800 bytes
>>
If we want to construct an array of, say, 100
elements between 0 and 2 – colon notation
>> c2 = (0:(2*pi)/99:(2*pi))
>> whos
Name Size Bytes Class
c1 1x100 800 double array
c2 1x100 800 double array
Grand total is 200 elements using 1600 bytes
>>
• How do we assign values to matrices ?
>>> A=[1 2 3;4 5 6;7 8 9]
A =
1 2 3 1 2 3
4 5 6 4 5 6
7 8 9
>>> 7 8 9
Columns separated by Rows separated by
space or a comma semi-colon
Vectors and Matrices
• How do we access elements in a matrix or a vector?
Try the followings:
>>> A(2,3) >>> A(:,3)
ans = ans =
6 3
6
9
>>> A(1,:) >>> A(2,:)
ans = ans =
1 2 3 4 5 6
>> D = (0:5)
D=
0 1 2 3 4 5 >> D (3)
ans =
2
Vectors and Matrices
• Some special variables
>> 1/0
Warning: Divide by zero.
beep ans =
pi () Inf
>> pi
inf (e.g. 1/0)
ans =
i, j ( 1 ) 3.1416
>> i
ans =
0+ 1.0000i
Vectors and Matrices
• Arithmetic operations – Matrices
Performing operations to every entry in a matrix
Add and subtract
>>> A=[1 2 3;4 5 6;7 8 9] >>> A+3
A = ans =
1 2 3 4 5 6
4 5 6 7 8 9
7 8 9 10 11 12
>>>
>>> A-2
ans =
-1 0 1
2 3 4
5 6 7
>> X= sum (A)
>> x =sum (A)
x=
12 15 18
Vectors and Matrices
• Arithmetic operations – Matrices
Performing operations to every entry in a matrix
>>> A=[1 2 3;4 5 6;7 8 9] Multiply and divide
A =
1 2 3 >>> A*2
4 5 6 ans =
7 8 9 2 4 6
>>> 8 10 12
14 16 18
>>> A/3
ans =
0.3333 0.6667 1.0000
1.3333 1.6667 2.0000
2.3333 2.6667 3.0000
Vectors and Matrices
• Arithmetic operations – Matrices
Performing operations to every entry in a matrix
>>> A=[1 2 3;4 5 6;7 8 9]
Power
A= To square every element in A, use
1 2 3 the element–wise operator .^
4 5 6
7 8 9 >>> A.^2
>>> ans =
1 4 9
16 25 36
49 64 81
>>> A^2
ans =
A^2 = A * A 30 36 42
66 81 96
102 126 150
Vectors and Matrices
• Arithmetic operations – Matrices
Performing operations between matrices
>>> A=[1 2 3;4 5 6;7 8 9] >>> B=[1 1 1;2 2 2;3 3 3]
A = B =
1 2 3 1 1 1
4 5 6 2 2 2
7 8 9 3 3 3
1 2 3 1 1 1 14 14 14
4 5 6 2 2 2 32 32 32
=
A*B 7 8 9 3 3 3 50 50 50
1x1 2 x1 3x1 1 2 3
4 x 2 5x 2 6 x 2 8 10 12
A.*B =
7 x 3 8x 3 9x 3 21 24 27
Vectors and Matrices
• Arithmetic operations – Matrices
Performing operations between matrices
1 / 1 2 / 1 3 / 1 1.0000 2.0000 3.0000
A./B 4 / 2 5 / 2 6 / 2 2.0000 2.5000 3.0000
=
7 / 3 8 / 3 9 / 3 2.3333 2.6667 3.0000
Vectors and Matrices
• Arithmetic operations – Matrices
Performing operations between matrices
??? Error using ==> ^
A^B
At least one operand must be scalar
11 21 31 1 2 3
A.^B 2
4 52
62
=
16 25 36
73 83 93 343 512 729
