Introduction to Matlab

Matlab
• Stands for MATrix LABoratory
• Interpreted language
• Scientific programming environment
• Very good tool for the manipulation of matrices
• Great visualisation capabilities
• Loads of built-in functions
• Easy to learn and simple to use

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 Matlab Desktop

Workspace /
Current Directory
Command
Window

Command
History

Explore the Matlab Desktop

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 Variables
• Don’t have to declare type
• Don’t even have to initialise
• Just assign in command window
>>
>> a=12; % variable a is assigned 12

Matlab comment
prompt suppress operator
assign
operator command
output Try the same line without the
semicolon and comments
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 Variables (continued …)
• View variable contents by simply typing the
variable name at the command prompt
>> a
a=
12
>>
>> a*2
a=
24
>>

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 Workspace
• The workspace is Matlab’s memory
• Can manipulate variables stored in the workspace
>> b=10;
>> c=a+b
c=
22
>>

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 Workspace (continued …)
• Display contents of workspace
>> whos
Name Size Bytes Class
a 1x1 8 double array
b 1x1 8 double array
c 1x1 8 double array
Grand total is 3 elements using 24 bytes
>>

• Delete variable(s) from workspace

>> clear a b; % delete a and b from workspace
>> whos
>> clear all; % delete all variables from workspace
>> whos

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 Matlab help commands
• help
>> help whos % displays documentation for the function whos
>> lookfor convert % displays functions with convert in the first help line

• Start Matlab help documentation

>> helpdesk

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 Matrices
• Don’t need to initialise type, or dimensions
>>A = [3 2 1; 5 1 0; 2 1 7]
A=
square brackets to define matrices
3 2 1
5 1 0 semicolon for next row in matrix
2 1 7
>>
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 Manipulating Matrices A=
3 2 1

• Access elements of a matrix 5

2
1
1
0
7

>>A(1,2)
ans= indices of matrix element(s)
2
• Remember Matrix(row,column)
• Naming convention Matrix variables start
with a capital letter while vectors or scalar
variables start with a simple letter
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 The : operator
• VERY important operator in Matlab
• Means ‘to’
>> 1:10
ans =
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
>> 1:2:10
Try the following
ans = >> x=0:pi/12:2*pi;
>> y=sin(x)
1 3 5 7 9
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The : operator and matrices
A=
>>A(3,2:3) 3 2 1
ans = 5 1 0
2 1 7
1 7
>>A(:,2)
ans =
2
1
What’ll happen if you type A(:,:) ?
1

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 A=
3 2 1
Manipulating Matrices 5
2
1
1
0
7

>> A ' % transpose B=

>> B*A % matrix multiplication 1

4
3
9
1
5
>> B.*A% element by element multiplication 2 7 2

>> B/A % matrix division

Enter matrix B
>> B./A % element by element division into the Matlab
workspace
>> [B A] % Join matrices (horizontally)
>> [B; A] % Join matrices (vertically)

Create matrices A and B and try out the the matrix operators in this slide
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 Scripts
• Matlab editor
• Use scripts to execute a series of Matlab
commands

Matlab
Desktop
Press to create
new m-file in the
matlab editor

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• Scripts will manipulate and Scripts (continued)
store variables and matrices
in the Matlab Workspace
(memory).
• They can be called from the
Matlab command line by Will be slightly
typing the (case sensitive!) different in Linux
filename of the script file.
>> myscript
• Scripts can be opened in the
editor by the following
>> open myscript
Highlight a few lines of your
script by left- clicking and
dragging the mouse over the
lines. Right-click the
highlighted lines and select
Evaluate Selection.

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 Functions
• Programming in Matlab.
• Users can write functions which can be called from the command line.
• Functions can accept input variable(s)/matrice(s) and will output
variable(s)/matrice(s).
• Functions will not manipulate variable(s)/matrice(s) in the Matlab
Workspace.
• In Matlab functions closely resemble scripts and can be written in the
Matlab editor. Matlab functions have the function keyword.
• Remember that the filename of a function will be its calling function name.
• Don’t overload any built-in functions by using the same filename for your
functions or scripts!
• Functions can be opened for editing using the open command. Many built-
in Matlab functions can also be viewed using this command.

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 Functions (continued)
>> I=iterate(5) function name input
output
I=
1 4 9 16 25

function keyword

help lines for function

for statement block

Access the comments of
your Matlab functions
>> help iterate Make sure you save changes to the
m-file before you call the function!
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 Functions (continued)
Functions can have many
>> [i j]=sort2(2,4) outputs contained in a matrix
i=
4
j=
2
if statement
>> block

Remember to use the

Matlab help command for
syntax
>> help if

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 More flow control
While statement block Switch statement block

Without ; to
print output

i=
4
i=
16
i= Method is linear
256 >>

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 Debugging
Debug menus
• Set breakpoints to stop the execution of code
>> [i j]=sort2(2,4)
K>>
K>> whos
Name Size Bytes Class
a 1x1 8 double array
b 1x1 8 double array
Grand total is 2 elements using 16 bytes
K>> a
a= local function
2 workspace
K>> return
i=

4 exit debug Click mouse on the left

j= mode of the line of code to
2
create a breakpoint

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 Visualisation - plotting data
>> figure % create new figure
>> t=0:pi/12:8*pi;
Plot style
>> y=cos(t);
>> plot(t,y,‘b.-')
Investigate the function
>> y=A*cos(w*t+phi);
for different values of phi (eg: 0, pi/4, pi/3,
pi/2), w (eg: 1, 2, 3, 4) and A (eg: 1, 0.5, 2). Use
the hold on Matlab command to display your
plots in the same figure. Remember to type A = amplitude
hold off to go back to normal plotting mode. phi = phase
Try using different plot styles (help plot) w = angular frequency = 2*pi*frequency
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Useful operators and built-in functions
Operating
< ¦ save ! system
> rand load guide command
Continue in next line
~= zeros … get
== min '' set Graphical
string user interface
>= max { } cell

<= repmat try error handling

& axis catch

Remember to use the Matlab help command if you get stuck

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