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
 