Matlab: Historical Overview

Historical Overview
MATLAB
Adapted from various sources, with main origin

MathWorks
Short for matrix laboratory.

Invented in 1970s by Cleve Moler, chairman of
CS dept. at University of New Mexico.
Originally designed to provide students access
to LINPACK and EISPACK without learning
Fortran
Numerical computing environment and
programming language.
Spread to other universities and found a strong
audience within the applied mathematics
community.
Historical Overview (cont.)
Overview
Jack Little joined Cleve and Steve Bangert to found The

MathWorks in 1984 and a developed C rewrite of
MATLAB.
MATLAB was first adopted by control design engineers,
Little's specialty, but quickly spread to many other
domains.
It is now also used in education, in particular the
teaching of linear algebra and numerical analysis, and is
popular amongst scientists involved with image
processing.
MATLAB origins video by Cleve:
MATLAB began with 80 functions simple

matrix calculator, portable machine
graphics
NOW it has over 8000 functions
MATLAB engines incorporated the
LAPACK and BLAS libraries, embedding
the state of the art software for matrix
computation.
http://www.mathworks.com/company/newsletters/news_notes/clevescorner/dec04.html
Overview
MATLAB is a high-performance language for technical
computing. It integrates computation, visualization, and
programming in an easy-to-use environment where
problems and solutions are expressed in familiar
mathematical notation. Typical uses include
Math and computation
Algorithm development
Data acquisition
Modeling, simulation, and prototyping
Data analysis, exploration, and visualization
Scientific and engineering graphics
Application development, including graphical user
interface building
Overview (cont.)
MATLAB features a family of add-on applicationspecific solutions called toolboxes. Very
important to most users of MATLAB, toolboxes
allow you to learn and apply specialized
technology. Toolboxes are comprehensive
collections of MATLAB functions (M-files) that
extend the MATLAB environment to solve
particular classes of problems. Areas in which
toolboxes are available include signal
processing, control systems, neural networks,
fuzzy logic, wavelets, simulation, and many
others.
Overview (cont.)
MATLAB is an interactive system whose basic data
element is an array that does not require dimensioning.
This allows you to solve many technical computing
problems, especially those with matrix and vector
formulations, in a fraction of the time it would take to
write a program in a scalar noninteractive language such
as C or Fortran.
MATLAB has evolved over a period of years with input
from many users. In university environments, it is the
standard instructional tool for introductory and advanced
courses in mathematics, engineering, and science. In
industry, MATLAB is the tool of choice for highproductivity research, development, and analysis.
The Main Parts

Desktop Tools and Development
Environment
The MATLAB Mathematical Function
Library
The MATLAB Language
Graphics
MATLAB External Interfaces
Desktop Tools and Development

Environment
This is the set of tools and facilities that
help you use MATLAB functions and files.
Many of these tools are graphical user
interfaces. It includes the MATLAB
desktop and Command Window, a
command history, an editor and debugger,
a code analyzer and other reports, and
browsers for viewing help, the workspace,
files, and the search path.
The MATLAB Mathematical

Function Library
This is a vast collection of computational
algorithms ranging from elementary
functions, like sum, sine, cosine, and
complex arithmetic, to more sophisticated
functions like matrix inverse, matrix
eigenvalues, Bessel functions, and fast
Fourier transforms.
The MATLAB Language

This is a high-level matrix/array language
with control flow statements, functions,
data structures, input/output, and objectoriented programming features. It allows
both "programming in the small" to rapidly
create quick and dirty throw-away
programs, and "programming in the large"
to create large and complex application
programs.
Graphics
MATLAB has extensive facilities for displaying
vectors and matrices as graphs, as well as
annotating and printing these graphs. It includes
high-level functions for two-dimensional and
three-dimensional data visualization, image
processing, animation, and presentation
graphics. It also includes low-level functions that
allow you to fully customize the appearance of
graphics as well as to build complete graphical
user interfaces on your MATLAB applications.
MATLAB External Interfaces

This is a library that allows you to write C
and Fortran programs that interact with
MATLAB. It includes facilities for calling
routines from MATLAB (dynamic linking),
calling MATLAB as a computational
engine, and for reading and writing MATfiles.
Line
Graphs
Bar
Graphs
Area
Graphs
Direction
Graphs
Radial
Graphs
plot
bar (grouped)
area
feather
polar
plotyy
barh (grouped)
pie
quiver
rose
Line Graphs Surface Graphs Direction Graphs Volumetric Graphs

plot3
surf
quiver3
scatter3
contour3
surfl
comet3
coneplot
Limitations
Proprietary product subject users to a vendor
lock-in
The language has a mixed heritage which can
cause erratic syntax.
MATLAB uses parentheses, e.g. y = f (x), for both
indexing into an array and calling a function.
Doesnt support references. Makes it difficult to

implement data structures that contain
indirections, such as open hash tables, linked
lists, trees, and various other common computer
science data structures.
Using Matlab
Working with Matrices
Now, for some work
Matlab works with essentially only one kind of object, a

rectangular numerical matrix
A matrix is a collection of numerical values that are organized
into a specific configuration of rows and columns.
The number of rows and columns can be any number
Example
3 rows and 4 columns define a 3 x 4 matrix having 12 elements
A scalar is a single number and is represented by a 1 x 1 matrix
in matlab.
A vector is a one dimensional array of numbers and is
represented by an n x 1 column vector or a 1 x n row vector of n
elements
Using Matlab
Using Matlab
c = 5.66 or c = [5.66]
c = 5.66 or c = [5.66]
x = [ 3.5, 33.22, 24.5 ]
c is a scalar or a 1 x 1 matrix
x is a row vector or a 1 x 3 matrix
Using Matlab
Using Matlab
c = 5.66 or c = [5.66]
x = [ 3.5, 33.22, 24.5 ]
x1 = [ 2
5
3
-1]
c = 5.66 or c = [5.66]
x = [ 3.5, 33.22, 24.5 ]
x1 = [ 2
5
3
-1]
A=[1 2 4
2 -2 2
0 3 5
5 4 9]
x1 is column vector or a 4 x 1 matrix
Using Matlab
x1 is column vector or a 4 x 1 matrix
A is a 4 x 3 matrix
Using Matlab
Spaces, commas, and semicolons are used to separate elements

of a matrix

of a matrix
Spaces or commas separate elements of a row
[1 2 3 4] or [1,2,3,4]
Using Matlab
Using Matlab
Indexing Matrices

of a matrix
A m x n matrix is defined by the number of m rows and number

of n columns
An individual element of a matrix can be specified with the notation
A(i,j) or Ai,j for the generalized element, or by A(4,1)=5 for a specific
element.
Spaces or commas separate elements of a row

[1 2 3 4] or [1,2,3,4]
Semicolons separate columns
[1,2,3,4;5,6,7,8;9,8,7,6] = [1 2 3 4
5678
9 8 7 6]
Using Matlab
Using Matlab
Indexing Matrices
Indexing Matrices
A m x n matrix is defined by the number of m rows and number

of n columns
An individual element of a matrix can be specified with the notation
A(i,j) or Ai,j for the generalized element, or by A(4,1)=5 for a specific
element.
Example:
>> A = [1 2 4 5;6 3 8 2]
A is a 4 x 2 matrix
>> A(1,2)
Ans 6
The colon operator can be used to index a range of elements
>> A(1:3,2)
Ans 1 2 4
Specific elements of any matrix can be overwritten using the

matrix index
Example:
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
>> A(1,2) = 9
Ans
A = [1 2 4 5
9 3 8 2]
Using Matlab
Using Matlab
Data Types and Formats
Matrix Shortcuts
The ones and zeros functions can be used to create any m x n
matrices composed entirely of ones or zeros
The semicolon operator determines whether the result of an

expression is displayed
Example
a = ones(2,3)
a = [1 1
11
1 1]
b = zeros(1,5)
b = [0 0 0 0 0]
who
lists all of the variables in your matlab workspace
whos
list the variables and describes their matrix size
Using Matlab
Saving your Work
To save data to a *.mat file:
Typing save filename at the >> prompt and the file
filename.mat will be saved to the working directory
Select Save from the file pull down menu
To reload a *.mat file
1. Type load filename at the >> prompt to load
filename.mat
(ensure the filename is located in the current working
directory)
2. Select Open from the file pull down menu and
manually find the datafile
Exercises
Enter the following Matrices in matlab using spaces,
commas, and semicolons to separate rows and
columns:
1 21 6
A = 5 17 9
31 2 7
4
22
C=
16

160
B = [1 64 122 78 38 55]
D = [65]
D=
8 41 166 42
55 28 16 2
1 12
0 0
25 65 24 19
E = a 5 x 9 matrix of 1s
Exercises
Exercises
Use the who and whos functions to confirm all of the

variables and matrices in the work space are
present and correct
1 21 6
A = 5 17 9
31 2 7
4
22
C=
16

160
B = [1 64 122 78 38 55]
D = [65]
D=
8 41 166 42
55 28 16 2
1 12
0 0
25 65 24 19
Change the following elements in each matrix:

6 6
1 76
A = 5 17 9
2 7
31 0
4
22
C=
16
76

160
0 38 55]
64 122 78
B = [1 76
D = [65]
D=
8
55
76
25
41 166 42
16
2
0
0
1 12
65 24 76
19
28
Matrix Operations
Indexing Matrices
An empty or null matrix can be created using square brackets
>> A = [ ]
B. Matrix Operations
** TIP: The size and length functions can quickly return the number
of elements and dimensions of a matrix variable
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Indexing Matrices
Indexing Matrices
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
The colon operator can can be used to remove entire rows or

columns
However individual elements within a matrix cannot be assigned

an empty value
>> A(:,3) = [ ]
A = [1 2 5
6 3 2]
>> A(1,3) = [ ]
??? Subscripted assignment dimension mismatch.
>> A(2,:) = [ ]
A = [1 2 5]
N Dimensional Matrices
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
B = [5 3 7 9
1 9 9 8]
Multidimensional matrices can be created by concatenating 2-D

matrices together
The cat function concatenates matrices of compatible
dimensions together:
Usage: cat(dimensions, Matrix1, Matrix2)
N Dimensional Matrices
Examples
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
B = [5 3 7 9
1 9 9 8]
>> C = cat(3,[1,2,4,5;6,3,8,2],[5,3,7,9;1,9,9,8])
>> C = cat(3,A,B)
CAT(2,A,B) is the same as [A,B]. (i.e. concatenate rows)
CAT(1,A,B) is the same as [A;B]. (i.e. concatenate columns)
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Scalar Operations
Scalar Operations
Scalar (single value) calculations can be can performed on

matrices and arrays
Scalar (single value) calculations can be performed on matrices

and arrays
Basic Calculation Operators

+ Addition
- Subtraction
* Multiplication
/ Division
^ Exponentiation
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
B = [1 C = 5
7
3
3]
Try:
A + 10
A*5
B/2
A^C
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Scalar Operations
Matrix Operations
Scalar (single value) calculations can be performed on matrices

and arrays
Matrix to matrix calculations can be performed on matrices and

arrays
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
Try:
A + 10
A*5
B/2
A^C
B = [1 C = 5
7
3
3]
What is happening here?
Addition and Subtraction

Matrix dimensions must be the same or the added/subtracted
value must be scalar
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
Try:
>>A + B
B = [1 C = 5
7
3
3]
>>A + C
>>A + D
D = [2 4 6 8
1 3 5 7]
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Matrix Multiplication
The Dot Product
Built in matrix multiplication in Matlab is either:
The dot product for two matrices A and B is defined whenever the
number of columns of A are equal to the number of rows of b
1. Algebraic dot product

2. Element by element multiplication
Matrix Operations
A(x1,y1) * B(x2,y2)
Matrix Operations
The Dot Product
The Dot Product
A(x1,y1) * B(x2,y2)
A(x1,y1) * B(x2,y2)
Matrix Operations
The Dot Product
Matrix Operations
The Dot Product
A(x1,y1) * B(x2,y2) = C(x1,y2)
A = [1 2
6 3]
A(x1,y1) * B(x2,y2) = C(x1,y2)
B = [1
7
3
3]
D = [2 2 E = [2 4 3 6]
2 2]
Try:
>>A * D
>>B * E
>>A * B
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Element by Element Multiplication
Matrix Division
Element by element multiplication of matrices is performed with

the .* operator
Matrices must have identical dimensions
Built in matrix division in Matlab is either:
A = [1 2
63]
>>A .* D
Ans = [ 2 4
12 6]
B = [1
7
3
3]
D = [2 2 E = [2 4 3 6]
22]
1. Left or right matrix division

2. Element by element division
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Left and Right Division
Element by Element Division
Left and Right division utilizes the / and \ operators
Element by element division of matrices is performed with the ./

operator
Matrices must have identical dimensions
Left (\) division:

X = A\B is a solution to A*X = B
Right (/) division:
X = B/A is a solution to X*A = B
Left division requires A and B have the same number of rows
Right division requires A and B have the same number of
columns
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
B = [1
7
3
3]
D = [2 2 2 2 E = [2 4 3 6]
2 2 2 2]
>>A ./ D
Ans = [ 0.5000
3.0000
Matrix Operations
1.0000
1.5000
2.0000
4.0000
2.5000
1.0000 ]
Matrix Operations
Element by Element Division
Matrix Exponents
Any division by zero will be returned as a NAN in matlab (not a

number)
Any subsequent operation with a NAN value will return NAN
Built in matrix Exponentiation in Matlab is either:

1. A series of Algebraic dot products
2. Element by element exponentiation
Examples:
A^2 = A * A
A.^2 = A .* A
(Matrix must be square)
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Shortcut: Transposing Matrices
Other handy built in matrix functions Include:
The transpose of a matrix is the matrix formed by interchanging

the rows and columns of a given matrix
B = [1
7
3
3]
>> transpose(A)
A = [1 6
23
48
5 2]
inv()
det()
poly()
kron()
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
Matrix inverse
Matrix determinant
Characteristic Polynomial
Kronecker tensor product
>> B
B = [1 7 3 3]
Relational Operators
Relational operators are used to compare two scaler values or
matrices of equal dimensions
C. Relational Operators
<
less than
<=
less than or equal to
>
Greater than
>=
Greater than or equal to
==
equal
~=
not equal
Comparison occurs between pairs of corresponding elements
A 1 or 0 is returned for each comparison indicating TRUE or
FALSE
Matrix dimensions must be equal!
>> 5 == 5
Ans 1
>> 20 >= 15
Ans 1
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
C = [2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2]
Try:
>>A > B
>> A < C
The Find Function
B=7
The Find Function
The find function is extremely helpful with relational operators

for finding all matrix elements that fit some criteria
A = [1 2 4 5
B=7
C = [2 2 2 2
D = [0 2 0 5 0 2]
6 3 8 2]
2 2 2 2]
The positions of all elements that fit the given criteria are
returned
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
B=7
C = [2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2]
D = [0 2 0 5 0 2]
The find function can also return the row and column indexes of
of matching elements by specifying row and column arguments
>> [x,y] = find(A == 5)
>> find(D > 0)

The matching elements will be indexed by (x1,y1), (x2,y2),
The resultant positions can be used as indexes to change these
elements
>> D(find(D>0)) = 10
D = [10 2 10 5 10 2]
>> A(x,y) = 10
A = [ 1 2 4 10
6382 ]
Matrix Operations
Matrix Operations
Embedding Functions
Embedding Functions
Functions may be embedded into other functions, i.e. the values

sent to a function can be the result from some other function
Function embedding can be many levels deep
Many lines of code can be condensed into one single command

sent to a function can be the result from some other function.
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
B=2
C = [2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2]
D = [0 2 0 3 0 2]
>> D(find(D>0))
Ans 2 3 2
B=2
C = [2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2]
D = [0 2 0 3 0 2]
>> D(find(D>0))
Ans 2 3 2
>>D(D(find(D>0)))
Ans 2 0 0
Matrix Operations
Embedding Functions
sent to a function can be the result from some other function.
A = [1 2 4 5
6 3 8 2]
B=2
>> D(find(D>0))
Ans 2 3 2
>>D(D(find(D>0)))
Ans 2 0 0
>>A(B, D(find(D>0)) )
Ans 3 8 3
C = [2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2]
D = [0 2 0 3 0 2]
B. Multiple Command
Execution
Programming Tricks
Programming Tricks
Entering Long Lines of Code
If a matlab command contains many calculations, embedded functions

or long variable names, it may be necessary to split the command onto
multiple lines so that it can be read more easily
The command tells matlab to continue the current command onto
the next line

the next line
>> long_variable_name1 + long_variable_name2 + mean(long_variable_name3)
Programming Tricks
Programming Tricks
Entering Multiple Lines Without Running Them

the next line
To enter multiple lines before running any of them, use Shift+Enter

or Shift+Return.
The cursor moves down to the next line, where the next line can be
written.
to run all of the lines press Enter or Return .
This allows the list of commands to be checked and edited before
they are evaluated by matlab.
>> long_variable_name1 + long_variable_name2 + mean(long_variable_name3)
>> long_variable_name1 + long_variable_name2 +

mean(long_variable_name3)
Matlab Scripts
Entering Multiple Lines Without Running Them
Matlab can execute sequences of commands stored in files

Files that contain matlab commands have the extension *.m
*.m files are written and saved in the built in matlab m-file editor
M-files are executed from the M-file editor or the command prompt
M-files can call other M-files
**The location path of the M-file must be set in matlab
Matlab Scripts
Advantages of M-files
Easy editing and saving of work
Undo changes
Readability/Portability - non executable comments can be
added using the % symbol to make make commands easier to
understand
Saving M-files is far more memory efficient than saving a
workspace
Logical Operators
C. Control and Flow
Logical operators are used to compare two boolean

values
A boolean value is a logical representation of true or
false
Conventionally 1 and 0 are used to represent true and
false
In matlab when boolean comparisons are made, a
value of false or 0 represents false and any positive
integer or true represents true
Logical Operators
Logical Operators
&
AND
|
OR
~
NOT
A&B=?
Logical Operators
Logical Operators
&
AND
|
OR
~
NOT
A|B=?
The & (AND) operator returns TRUE only if both A,B

values are TRUE otherwise returns FALSE
The | (OR) operator returns TRUE if either A, B is

TRUE, otherwise returns FALSE
& (AND) Truth Table:
| (OR) Truth Table:
A
1
1
0
0
B
1
0
1
0
Result
1
0
0
0
Logical Operators
B
1
0
1
0
Result
1
1
1
0
Logical Operators
Examples:
Logical Operators
&
AND
|
OR
~
NOT
~A = ?
~B = ?
The ~ (NOT) operator reverses the boolean

representation
~ (NOT) Truth Table:
A
1
1
0
0
A ~A
1 0
0 1
B ~B
1 0
0 1
A=0
B = false C = 1
D=8
E = true
F=[0102
0 3 0 1]
Try:
>>A & B
>>A & C
>>A & D
>>A & E
>>A & F
>>A | B
>>A | C
>>A | D
>>A | E
>>A | F
>> ~A
>> ~B
>> ~C
>> ~D
>> ~E
>> ~F
>> ~A&C
>> ~C & F
Logical Operators
Examples:
Logical Operators
Examples:
A=0
B = false
F=[0102
0 3 0 1]
C=1
D=8
E = true
>>A & B = 0
>>A & C = 0
>>A & D = 0 >>A & E = 0
>>A & F = [0 0 0 0 >>A | B = 0
>>A | C = 1
0 0 0 0] >>A | D = 1 >>A | E = 1
>>A | F = [0 1 0 1
0 1 0 1]
Logical Operators
A=0
B = false
F=[0102
0 3 0 1]
C=1
D=8
E = true
>> ~A = 1
>> ~B = 1
>> ~C = 0
>> ~D = 0
>> ~E = 0
>> ~F =[1 0 1 0
>> ~A&C = 1 >> ~C & F = [0 0 0 0
1 0 1 0]
0 0 0 0]
**When performing a boolean operation with a matrix, an
element by element boolean comparison is made
Logical Operators
Order of Precedence:
Order of Precedence:
When performing multiple logical operations without

separating brackets, the ~ (NOT) operator is evaluated
first, followed by the & (AND) operator and | (OR)
operator
When performing multiple logical operations without

separating brackets, the ~ (NOT) operator is evaluated
first, followed by the & (AND) operator and | (OR)
operator
A&B|C = (A&B) | C
A|B&C = A | (B&C)
A&B|C = (A&B) | C
A|B&C = A | (B&C)
A&~B|C = (A&(~B)) | C
A|~B&C = A | ((~B)&C)
Control and Flow

Control flow capability enables matlab to function
beyond the level of a simple desk calculator
With control flow statements, matlab can be used as a
complete high-level matrix language
Flow control in matlab is performed with condition
statements and loops
Condition Statements
It is often necessary to only perform matlab
operations when certain conditions are met
Relational and Logical operators are used to define
specific conditions
Simple flow control in matlab is performed with the If,
Else, Elseif and Switch statements
If, Else, and Elseif
An if statement evaluates a logical expression and evaluates a
group of commands when the logical expression is true
The list of conditional commands are terminated by the end
statement
If the logical expression is false, all the conditional commands
are skipped
Execution of the script resumes after the end statement
Basic form:
if logical_expression
commands
end
Example
A=6
B=0
if A > 6
D = [1 2 6]
A=A+1
end
if A | B
E = mean(B)
end
The else statement forces execution of the commands below the
else statement if the original logical expression evaluates to false
Only one list of commands can be executed
Basic form:
commands 1
else
commands 2
end
Example
A=6
B=0
Example
The elseif statement forces execution of the commands below

the else statement if the original logical expression evaluates to
false
Only one list of commands can be executed
A=6
Basic form:
commands 1
elseif logical_expression_2
commands 2
elseif logical_expression_3
commands 3
end
if A & B
E = mean(B)
else
E=0
end
if A > 6
D = [1 2 6]
A=A+1
else
D = [ 0 0 0]
A=A-1
end
B=0
if A > 3
D = [1 2 6]
A=A+1
elseif A > 2
D=D+1
A=A+2
end
** Both the if and elseif statements are evaluated
Example
Switch
The switch statement can act as many elseif statements
Only the one case statement whos value satisfies the original
expression is evaluated
Basic form:
switch expression (scalar or string)
case value 1
commands 1
case value 2
commands 2
case value n
commands n
end
A=6
B=0
switch A
case 4
D = [ 0 0 0]
A=A-1
case 5
B=1
case 6
D = [1 2 6]
A=A+1
end
** Only case 6 is evaluated
Loops
Loops
For Loops
Loops are an important component of flow control

that enables matlab to repeat multiple statements in
specific and controllable ways
Simple repetition in matlab is controlled by two types
of loops:
1. For loops
2. While loops
The for loop executes a statement or group of

statements a predetermined number of times
Basic Form:
for index = start:increment:end
statements
end
** If increment is not specified, an increment of 1 is assumed
by matlab
Loops
Loops
For Loops
For Loops
Loops can be nested in other loops
Examples:
for i = 1:1:100
x(i) = 0
end
Assigns 0 to the first 100 elements of vector x
If x does not exist or has fewer than 100 elements,
additional space will be automatically allocated
Loops
A=[]
for i = 1:m
for j = 1:n
A(i,j) = i + j
end
end
Creates an m by n matrix A whose elements are the
sum of their matrix position
While Loops
Loops
While Loops
The while loop executes a statement or group of
statements repeatedly as long as the controlling
expression is true
Basic Form:
while expression
statements
end
Examples:
A = 6 B = 15
while A > 0 & B < 10
A=A+1
B=B2
end
Iteratively increase A and decrease B until the two
conditions of the while loop are met
** Be very careful to ensure that your while loop will
eventually reach its termination condition to prevent
an infinite loop
Loops
While Loops
Loops
Breaking out of loops
Examples:
A=6
B = 15
while A > 0 & B < 10
if A < 0
A=A+1
elseif B > 10
B=B2
end
end
Conditional statements can be nested for specific
internal control of variables
The break command instantly terminates a for and

while loop
When a break is encountered by matlab, execution of
the script continues outside and after the loop
Loops
Functions in Matlab
Breaking out of loops

Example:
A = 6 B = 15
count = 1
while A > 0 & B < 10
A=A+1
B=B+2
count = count + 1
if count > 100
break
end
end
Break out of the loop after 100 repetitions if the while
condition has not been met
In Matlab, each function is a .m file

It is good protocol to name your .m file the same as
your function name, i.e. funcname.m
function outargs=funcname(inargs);
input
Function
output
Simple Example
Find the cube of a number -> (x3)
Type the code below into an .m file and save it
as cube.m
Set the Matlab directory appropriately
In Matlab window, type cube(3), is the result
correct?
Now you have a reusable function that can
calculate the cube of any number
function [y] = cube(x)
y = x*x*x;
>> cube(3)
Ans = 125
>> cube 1.75
Ans = 5.3594
Add Some Help

Find the cube of a number -> (x3)
Add commented text between the funciton
declaration and the first line of code
Now type help cube in Matlab window
Find the cube of two numbers

Any numbers of inputs and outputs can be
handled in a function
For a simple example, extend the cube
function to accept two inputs and find the
cube of each
function [y1, y2] = cube(x1, x2)
% Put some text here
y1 = x1*x1*x1;
y2 = x2*x2*x2;
>> cube(2,3)
Ans = 8 ???
>> [a b] = cube(2,3)
a=8
b = 27
>> help cube

Put some text here

y = x*x*x;
nargin
Matlab will accept a function call with any
number of inputs and outputs
nargin can be used to find out how many
inputs the user has provided
It is automatically passed with the function
if nargin == 1
y1 = x1*x1*x1;
y2 = nan;
elseif nargin == 2
y1 = x1*x1*x1;
y2 = x2*x2*x2;
end
>> cube(2,3)
Ans = 8
>> [a b] = cube(2,3)
a=8
b = 27
Find the Cube of Any Number of

Numbers
return
return terminates computation of the
function and returns whatever is calculated
thus far
if nargin == 1
y1 = x1*x1*x1;
y2 = nan;
return
end
>> cube(2,3)
Ans = 8
>> [a b] = cube(2,3)
a=8
b = 27
Any ideas on how to accomplish this?

Lets further extend the function to cube a
vector of numbers
Before we thought of the variables as
scalars, now rethink the power of vectors
y = x.^3;
y1 = x1*x1*x1;
y2 = x2*x2*x2;
Mini-Project
Lets combine what we have learned thus
far in the course
Loops, If Statements, Functions
Basic Matlab Operators
Should finish this in class today

If you get through this then you are doing
well
>> cube(2)
Ans = 8
>> cube([2 3])

Ans = [8 27]
Mini-Project
Raising any number of numbers to the nth power
Inputs:
A vector of numbers to be raised (N1Nm)
A vector of powers (P1Pm)
Outputs:
A vector of raised values (N1P1 NmPm)
An error flag: 1 if error in calculation, 0 if successful
Caveats:
If only one input is provided, the function should square each
entry, so output = (N12Nm2) and error flag is 0
If the length of N and P are not the same, this is an error, return
anything in the output vector and a 1 in the error flag
Make sure to comment and document the function
Mini-Project
Solution 1
(simple)
Plan before you code

Remember that xn=x*x*x*x *x (n times)
Hint: remember the built in functions length and size
will return the dimensions of any given variable
Ask questions and take your time
Solution 2
function [y, e] = raise(x,n)
function [y, e] = raise(x,n)

if nargin == 1
y = x.^2;
e = 0;
return
elseif nargin == 2
if length(x)~=length(n)
y = nan;
e = 1;
return
end
for i=1:length(x)
y(i) = x(i)^n(i);
end
e = 0;
return
end
Importing Data
y = ones(1,length(x));
if nargin == 1
[y e] = raise(x,2*ones(1,length(x)));
return
elseif nargin == 2
if length(x)~=length(n)
y = NaN;
e = 1;
return
end
for i=1:length(x)
for j=1:n(i)
y(i) = y(i)*x(i);
end
end
e = 0;
return
end
Basic issue:
How do we get data from other sources into
Matlab so that we can play with it?
Other Issues:
Where do we get the data?
What types of data can we import
Easily or Not
load
Command opens and imports data from a
standard ASCII file into a matlab variable
Restrictions
Data must be constantly sized
Data must be ASCII
No other characters
load
Consider the simple file below
Create in notepad and save as test1.txt and
text2.txt
In matlab, set the path to the correct place (ie.
where the file is) and type load(test1.txt)
Now, type x = load(test1.txt)
12
test1
34
52
48
16 32
load
Now the file is no longer simple because not
every row has the same amount of characters
Create in notepad and save as test2.txt and
text2.txt
type y = load(test2.txt)
load
Now type in the same thing from test1.txt into
Excel and save the workbook as test1.xls
type y = load(test1.xls)
What happens?
Forcing the issue with Excel data
Error!
test2
12
34
5
48
16 32
test1
12
34
52
48
16 32
load
Works for simple and unstructured code
Powerful and easy to use but limited
Will likely force you to manually handle
simplifying data which is prone to error
More complex functions are more flexible
fopen
Opens a file object in matlab that points to the
file of interest
fid = fopen(filepath)
absolute directory + filename
If file of interest is C:\Andrew\Project_1\file.dat
fid = fopen(C:\Andrew\Project_1\file.dat)
relative path + filename

If your matlab path is set to c:\Andrew\Project_1
fid = fopen(file.dat)
fid is an integer that represents the file

Can open multiple files and matlab will assign unique
fids
File Handling
f* functions are associated with file opening,
reading, manipulating, writing,
Basic Functions of Interest for opening and
reading generic files in matlab
fopen
fclose
fseek/ftell/frewind
fscanf
fgetl
fclose
When you are done with a file, it is a good idea
to close it especially if you are opening many
files
fclose(fid)
What is a File?
A specific organization of data
In matlab it is identified with a fid
Location is specified with a pointer that can be
moved around
fid
Moving the Pointer

We already know how to assign a fid (fopen)
To find where the file is pointing:
x = ftell(fid)
To point somewhere else

fseek(fid,offset,origin)
Move pointer in file fid by offset relative to origin
Move pointer by a fixed number of bytes
Origin can be beginning, current, end of file
Pointer
file_name
To point to the beginning

frewind(fid)
Getting Data
Why move the pointer around?
Get somewhere in the file from where you want data
[data] = fscanf(fid,format,size)
Format
You have to tell matlab the type of data it should be
expecting in the text file so that it can convert it
%d, %f, %c, %s
Size
You can specify how to organize the imported data
[m,n] import the data as m by n, n can be infinite
Be careful because matlab will mangle your data and not tell
you
Lets Try It
Open text1.txt using the fopen command
Remember to save the fid, we will need it
Create a variable with the data of text1.txt

Now create another variable y with the data of text1.txt in it by using
fscanf (do not simply copy x)
What happens here?
Need to set file pointer to beginning using rewind(fid)
Now use the size option to import the data with 5 rows and 2
columns
Try the same thing with test2.txt
It works and fills in the blanks. This is powerful but dangerous
Lets Try It
Open text1.txt using the fopen command
Remember to save the fid, we will need it
fid = fopen('test1.txt)
Create a variable with the data of text1.txt
[x] = fscanf(fid,'%f%f')
Now create another variable y with the data of text1.txt in it by using
fscanf (do not simply copy x)
[y] = fscanf(fid,'%f%f')
What happens here?
Need to set file pointer to beginning using frewind(fid)
Getting Data
fgetl returns the next line of the file as a
character array
You may need to convert these to numbers
>> fid1 = fopen(test1.txt);
>> a_str = fgetl(fid1)
a_str = 1 2
>> a_num = str2num(a_str)
a_num = [1 2]
Lets Try It
Now use the size option to import the data with 5 rows and 2
columns
[data2] = fscanf(fid,'%f%f',[5,2])
- Careful this is the same format as the original data but not the same
organization!!
frewind(fid)
[data3] = fscanf(fid,'%f%f',[2,5])
data3
- now the data is formatted correctly
Try the same thing with test2.txt
It works and fills in the blanks. This is powerful but dangerous
Realistic File
A realistic file of data will have header information,
labeled columns and other information embedded within
it.
Option 1: Manually go through deleting this information
and import using load of fopen commands.
Option 2: Have matlab delete and format available data
on the fly
Realistic File
Realistic File
Powerful function textread can be used to

input almost any text file
Handles (input variables):
Powerful function textread can be used to

input almost any text file
Opening the file

Ignoring Header Information
Accepting Column Labels
Usage:
[var1 varN] =
textread(filename,format,args)
Will work for most applications
Summary
Lots of options to load files
load for basics
fscanf for complex
textread for most things
xlsread for Excel worksheets
Also saving Excel sheets as tab delimitted
Week 5 Lecture Outline

Plotting Data
A. Basics
B. Generating data
C. 2D Plots (Line, Scatter, Bar)
D. Plot Features
Basics
Matlab has a powerful plotting engine that can
generate a wide variety of plots.
Generating Data
Matlab does not understand functions, it can
only use arrays of numbers.
a=t2
b=sin(2*pi*t)
c=e-10*t note: matlab command is exp()
d=cos(4*pi*t)
e=2t3-4t2+t
Generate it numerically over specific range

Try and generate a-e over the interval 0:0.01:2
t=0:0.01:10; %make x vector
y=t.^2; %now we have the appropriate y
% but only over the specified range
Line/Scatter
Simplest plot function is plot()
Try typing plot(y)
Matlab automatically generates a figure and draws the data and
connects its lines
Looks right, but the x axis units are incorrect
Type plot(x,y), will look identical but have correct x-axis

units
Plot(x1,y1,s1,x2,y2,s2, ) many plots in one command
Plot(x) where x is a matrix, will result in plotting each
column as a separate trace
Line/Scatter
Plot a and then plot b
What do you see?
Only b
Matlab will replace the current plot with any new one
unless you specifically tell it not to
To have both plots on one figure use the hold on
command
To make multiple plots use the figure command
plot(t,a)
plot(t,b)
% Put a and b on one plot
% Make two plots
plot(t,a);
plot(t,a);
hold on;
figure;
plot(t,b);
plot(t,b);
Hold On / Hold Off
Linespec
Hold on command only needs to be issued once per

figure, thus calling hold on will result in all subsequent
plot commands going to one figure unless a new figure
command is issued or hold off is used.
plot(a);
Hold on;
plot(b);
plot(c);
Hold off;
plot(d);
plot(a);
Hold on;
plot(b);
plot(c);
Hold off;
Figure;
plot(d);
plot(a);
Hold on;
plot(b);
plot(c);
Figure;
plot(d);
Linespec
Now we have added color, line style and markers to the data
We can also modify line width, marker edge and fill color and marker
size
Currently, all the plots were done in the Matlab

default color blue
This and many other features can be changed
by selecting a different option within the plot
command
% red line
Plot(t,a,r);
Hold on;
% black line
Plot(t,b,k);
% green dots
Plot(t,c,g.);
% cyan xs
Plot(t,d,cx)
% dashed magenta
% line with os
Plot(t,e,--om)
Labels, Title and Legend

To add labels to the x and y axes, we can use the xlabel and ylabel
commands
To add a title, use the title command
To add a legend, use the legend command
% dashed magenta % line with os,

Plot(t,e,--om, LineWidth,3,'MarkerEdgeColor',k, 'MarkerFaceColor',y, MarkerSize,9)
plot(t,a,t,b,r,t,c,--om); %generate all plots in one shot
title(Random Plots)
xlabel(time(ms));
ylabel(f(t))
legend(Function 1,Function 2,Function 3);
Quick Assignment 1
Quick Assignment 1
Mini Assignment #1
4
Plot a as a thick black line

Plot b as a series of red circles.
Label each axis, add a title and a legend
t2
sin(2*pi*t)
3.5
figure
plot(t,a,'k','LineWidth',3); hold on;
plot(t,b,'ro')
xlabel('Time (ms)');
ylabel('f(t)');
legend('t^2','sin(2*pi*t)');
title('Mini Assignment #1')
3
2.5
f(t)
2
1.5
1
Mini Assignment #1
4
0.5
t2
sin(2*pi*t)
3.5
3
-0.5
2.5
-1
f(t)
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
Time (ms)
1.4
1.6
1.8
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
Time (ms)
1.4
1.6
1.8
Axis commands
Error Bars
We can alter the displayed range and other parameters of the plot by
using the axis command
Axis([xmin xmax ymin ymax])
Axis equal;
Axis square;
In addition to markers, matlab can generate error bars for each

datapoint using the errorbar command
errorbar(x,y,e) or errorbar(x,y,ll,lu);
Will generate line plus error bars at y+/-e or (y-ll,y+lu)
14
t2 = 0:1:10;
f = t2+(rand(1,length(t2))-0.5);
err1 = 0.1*f;
err2_l = 0.1*f;
err2_u = 0.25*f;
errorbar(t2,f,err1);
figure;
errorbar(t2,f,err2_l, err2_u);
2
1.5
Figure;
Plot(t,a,r);
Axis([-2 2 -2 2]);
1
0.5
0
-0.5
12
10
6
12
4
10
0
-2
10
12
-1
4
-1.5
2
-2
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0.5
1.5
2
0
-2
10
12
Subplots
Quick Assignment 2
So far we have only been generating individual plots

Matlab can also generate a matrix of plots using the subplot command
3.5
figure;
subplot(2,2,1)
plot(t,a);
subplot(2,2,2)
plot(t,b);
subplot(2,2,3)
plot(t,c);
subplot(2,2,4)
plot(t,d);
0.5
2.5
2
1.5
1
-0.5
0.5
0
0.5
1.5
-1
0.5
1.5
0.8
0.5
0.6
0
0.4
-0.5
0.2
0.5
1.5
-1
0.5
1.5
Generate a 3x1 array

of figures, each with a
title
Axis range of plots 1
and 2 should be 0 to 1
on x and y
Plot 1 should include
function a and b (color
code)
Plot 2 should include
c and d (color code)
Plot 3 should include f
with error bars of your
liking
Functions a and b
0.5
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
Functions c and d
1
0.5
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
function f with errorbars

20
10
0
-2
10
0.5
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
0.7
0.8
0.9
Functions c and d
1
0.5
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
function f with errorbars

20
10
0
-2
10
12
Quick Assignment 2
1
Functions a and b
1
figure
subplot(3,1,1)
plot(t,a,t,b,'r');
axis([0 1 0 1]);
title('Functions a and b')
subplot(3,1,2)
plot(t,c,t,d,'m');
axis([0 1 0 1]);
title('Functions c and d')
subplot(3,1,3)
errorbar(t2,f,err1);
title('function f with errorbars')
Bar Graphs
So far we have focused on line/scatter plots, the other most common
plot type is a bar graph
Matlab bar(x,y,width) command will generate a bar graph that is
related to the underlying functions where the width of each bar is
specified by width (default = 1);
Can be used with subplot and all the other features we have
discussed so far
5
4.5
t3 = 0:1:25;
f = sqrt(t3);
bar(t3,f);
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
12
1
0.5
0
-5
10
15
20
25
30
Histograms
Quick Assignment 3
Matlab hist(y,m) command will generate a frequency histogram of

vector y distributed among m bins
Also can use hist(y,x) where x is a vector defining the bin centers
Generate the following data set

It results in multiple noisy repeats of some trial
Note you can use histc function if you want to define bin edges instead
Create mean_x to be the mean of all the trials at each

point of x
Create std_x to be the standard deviation of all trials at
each point of x
Add labels and titles
Can be used with subplot and all the other features we have
discussed so far
hist(b,10);
Figure;
Hist(b,[-1 -0.75 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1]);
40
45
35
40
35
30
30
25
25
t = 0:0.1:1
for(i=1:25)
x(i,:) = exp(-10.*t) + 0.5*(rand(1,length(t))-0.5);
end
20
20
15
15
10
10
5
0
-1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0.5
1.5
Quick Assignment 3
Quick Assignment
3
t = 0:0.1:1
Make a plot that is to include 2 subplots

Plot #1:
Repeats of a Given Task

1.4
Plot each individual trial (25 lines) in thin dotted black lines,
Plot the mean of the trials with a thick, red, dashed line and error
lines surrounding each datapoint that correspond to the standard
deviation of each of the points
Plot #2:
A histogram that expresses the distribution of the signal at the
end of each trial (last sample)
Error Rate
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.2
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.2
Repeat
Distribution of Endpoint Position

5
Occurances
tip: remember about how matlab interprets matricies for the plot
command.
1.2
0
-0.25
-0.2
-0.15
-0.1
-0.05
0
Deviation (mm)
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
for(i=1:25)
x(i,:) = exp(-10.*t) + 0.5*(rand(1,length(t))-0.5);
end
mean_x = mean(x);
std_x = std(x);
figure
subplot(2,1,1)
plot(t,x,'k'); hold on;
errorbar(t,mean_x,std_x,'--r','LineWidth', 3);
title('Repeats of a Given Task')
xlabel('Repeat');
ylabel('Error Rate');
0.25
subplot(2,1,2)
hist(x(:,11),10)
title('Distribution of Endpoint Position');
xlabel('Deviation (mm)')
ylabel('Occurances')
Quick Assignment 3
Recap
Repeats of a Given Task

1.4
Learned about basic 2D plot functions
1.2
1
Error Rate
0.8
plot,bar,hist
0.6
0.4
0.2
Dealing with multiple plots and graphs
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.2
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.2
Repeat
Hold, figure, subplot
Discussed adding features to graphs
Distribution of Endpoint Position

5
Occurances
Xlabel,title,legend,
0
-0.25
-0.2
-0.15
-0.1
-0.05
0
Deviation (mm)
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
3D Plots
Matlab provides a wide range of 3D plot
options, we will talk about 3 different plot
types.
Mesh, Surf, Contour
Dataset
Try [x,y,z] = peaks(25)
Does this work?
If not, lets create an arbitrary dataset

x=-10:10; y = -10:10; z=x.^2*y.^2;
Mesh
Connects a series of discrete data points
with a mesh
Surf
Very similar to mesh, with filled grid
mesh(x,y,z) where X(i) and Y(j) are the intersections of

the mesh and Z(i,j) is the height at that intersection
mesh(Z) assumes X and Y are simple 1..N and 1..M
Contour
Meshc,surfc
Projection of equal heights of 3D plot onto a

2D plane
Use like surf or mesh contour(x,y,z)
Combination surface/mesh and contour plot

Use like surf or mesh meshc(x,y,z)
Plot3
Plot commands
Plots lines and points in space, just like plot but now for an
(x,y,z) triple
Plot3(x,y,z), each a vector of equal length
Use all the same specfiers to generate colors, line-types,
etc.
Note that almost all 2D plotting commands

such as xlabel, ylabel, title will still work in
3D plots
3D plots can be added as subplots just like
any other plot type
Some other special features and functions
exist
View
Colorbar
Changes the view of the current 3D plot

view(az,el)
Az = azimuth (rotation around z-axis)
El = Elevation (rotation around xy-plane)
Useful rotations (0,0),(90,0)
For the 3D plots, it is useful to add a

colorbar to the figure to indicate height.
Colorbar(vert) adds a vertical colorbar
Colorbar(horiz) adds a horizontal colorbar
caxis
Allows you to set the range of colors in the plot.
Caxis([min max]) will choose the range of colors
from the current color map to assign to the plot.
Values outside this range will use the min/max
available
Research
http://www.ifs.tuwien.ac.at/~silvia/research-tips/
Colormap
Plenty of other controls to personalize the
plot
colormap colormap_name sets to new map
Colormap (sets the types of colors that appear in 3D
plot). These can be custom of one of several premade
bone Hsv, jet, autumn, vga, summer,
See help graph3D for more
Use colormapeditor function for graphical selection of
color map

Matlab: Historical Overview

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Historical Overview

Adapted from various sources, with main origin

Short for matrix laboratory.

Historical Overview (cont.)

Jack Little joined Cleve and Steve Bangert to found The

MATLAB began with 80 functions simple

The Main Parts

Desktop Tools and Development

The MATLAB Mathematical

The MATLAB Language

MATLAB External Interfaces

Line Graphs Surface Graphs Direction Graphs Volumetric Graphs

Doesnt support references. Makes it difficult to

Now, for some work

Matlab works with essentially only one kind of object, a

Working with Matrices

Working with Matrices

Working with Matrices

Working with Matrices

x1 is column vector or a 4 x 1 matrix

x1 is column vector or a 4 x 1 matrix

Working with Matrices

Working with Matrices

Spaces, commas, and semicolons are used to separate elements

Spaces, commas, and semicolons are used to separate elements

Working with Matrices

Spaces, commas, and semicolons are used to separate elements

A m x n matrix is defined by the number of m rows and number

Spaces or commas separate elements of a row

A m x n matrix is defined by the number of m rows and number

Specific elements of any matrix can be overwritten using the

The semicolon operator determines whether the result of an

lists all of the variables in your matlab workspace

list the variables and describes their matrix size

Use the who and whos functions to confirm all of the

Change the following elements in each matrix:

The colon operator can can be used to remove entire rows or

However individual elements within a matrix cannot be assigned

Multidimensional matrices can be created by concatenating 2-D

Scalar (single value) calculations can be can performed on

Scalar (single value) calculations can be performed on matrices

Basic Calculation Operators

Scalar (single value) calculations can be performed on matrices

Matrix to matrix calculations can be performed on matrices and

What is happening here?

Addition and Subtraction

The Dot Product

Built in matrix multiplication in Matlab is either:

1. Algebraic dot product

The Dot Product

The Dot Product

A(x1,y1) * B(x2,y2) = C(x1,y2)

Element by Element Multiplication

Element by element multiplication of matrices is performed with

Built in matrix division in Matlab is either:

1. Left or right matrix division

Left and Right Division

Element by Element Division