UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

First Year Program – Core 8 and TrackOne

FIRST YEAR PROGRAM

ENGINEERING PROBLEM SOLVING LABS

MAT188: Laboratory #6
Matrices and For Loops
Engineering Problem Solving Labs MAT188: Laboratory #6

MATRICES AND FOR LOOPS

This laboratory will introduce you to matrices and how you can work with them using matrix
operations in MATLAB. This laboratory will introduce you to for loops, which allow you to repeat
instructions a specific number of times.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lab students will…
1) Synthesize knowledge of multi-dimensional arrays (matrices) from class and apply it to
perform basic matrix operations, including definition and indexing, and
2) Demonstrate basic understanding of repetitive tools, specifically ‘for’ loops, in matrix
operations.

Preparation (Required doing before you come to the laboratory session)

1. Read through this lab document.

Related Reference Materials (Not required, but may be a helpful resource)

Video demonstration: Working with Arrays in MATLAB (8:17)
http://www.mathworks.com/videos/working-with-arrays-in-matlab-69022.html
Pay particular attention to the indexing of arrays after the 3:00 minute mark.

Review

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Engineering Problem Solving Labs MAT188: Laboratory #6

MATLAB Skills and Knowledge:

Basic Matrix Definition, Operations and Indexing
Matrix Definition and Basic Operations
As you read through this lab document, work along with the module and enter each example
command in the MATLAB command window to see the result.

A matrix of size m × n is a rectangular array of numbers with m rows and n columns. A row vector
is a 1 × n matrix, while a column vector is an m × 1 matrix. A square matrix has the same number
of rows as columns, for example:

In MATLAB, commas or spaces are used to separate elements within a row and semicolons are
used to separate rows. For example, define the above matrix:
>> A = [1 2 3; 4 5 6; 7 8 9] % row by row input

You can use the colon operator to produce numbers in ranges:

>> A2 = [1:4; -1:2:5]

Notice how the semicolon separates the rows, and the colon (:) is used to specify a range of numbers
as elements. 1:4 means from 1 to 4 in increments of 1, while -1:2:5 means from -1 to 5 in
increments of 2.

Most of the basic operators defined for scalars are defined in MATLAB for matrices. For example,
to add two matrices:
>> B = [1 1 1; 2 2 2; 3 3 3]
>> C = [1 1 1; 2 2 2; 3 3 3]
>> B + C

Like with vectors, standard multiplication and division do not operate on the individual components.
For example,
>> B*C

does not multiply the individual components of B and C. It performs a different operation called
matrix multiplication, which you will learn about later this term in linear algebra (MAT188).

Like with vectors, to do element by element multiplication (multiply each element in one matrix by
the corresponding element in the other matrix), we must prefix the operator with the dot operator
(.), for example:
>> B.*C

You must also use the dot operator for element by element division (./) and exponentiation (.^).

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Engineering Problem Solving Labs MAT188: Laboratory #6

Exercises:

Evaluate the following expressions using MATLAB and fill in the table.

313 111
First, define the matrices 𝐴 = [1 2 1] and 𝐵 = [2 2 2].
341 333

Table 1 – Matrix Expressions

Expression Result

A./B

A.*B

A.^2

rank(A)

rank(B)

Matrix Indexing
Specific elements of a matrix can be accessed using indexing, in which index 1 represents the first
element. For example, consider the matrix A:

−1 0 5
𝐴 = [ 6 2 −3 ]
10 −4 8
>> A=[-1 0 5;6 2 -3;10 -4 8];

To get the element in the 1st row, 2nd column:

>> A(1,2)

Entire rows or columns can be selected using the colon operator:

>> A(1,:)
>> A(:,2)

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Engineering Problem Solving Labs MAT188: Laboratory #6

Partial rows or columns, can be selected by limiting the range:

>> A(1:2,2)

We can assign individual elements to a particular location within the matrix:

>> A(3,2)=cos(pi)

Or make use of the colon operator to assign new values to a part of a matrix:

>> A(1:2,1) = [1;1]

Or entire rows:

>> x=[-2:2:2];
>> A(2,:) = x.*exp(-2*x)

Now, assign the value 0 to all the elements in the second column of A.

Optional – if you need some additional exercise in flexing your matrix muscle, try the following:

MATLAB Skills and Knowledge:

For Loops
Open a new script. As you read through this section, type each example into the script window
and run it.
Sometimes, you want to repeat a section of code multiple times. You can use a for loop to iterate
over a range of values and repeatedly execute a set of commands for each. For example, define a
vector of each of the numbers from 1 to 5 multiplied by 2. (This can be done more easily with a
range, but just as an example.) Create a script to run the following and observe the output:

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Engineering Problem Solving Labs MAT188: Laboratory #6

x=[] % This vector will grow as we add values to it

for i=1:5
x(i)=i*2
end

This for loop iterates over the range of numbers 1:5 and runs the code in the loop (until end) for
each value. In this example, the loop defines the variable (also called the argument) i=1, runs the
code in the loop, returns to the beginning, defines i=2, runs the code in the loop, returns to the
beginning, and so on, with the last iteration of the loop running with i=5.

The general form of the for loop is as follows:

for <variable> = <range>

<code to repeat>
end

Exercise: Bacteria Growth and Interpretation

You can see that doing this with a for loop can be easier than repeatedly typing the same commands
for every 𝑎 value. Using a ‘for’ loop also makes the desired values or parameters easier to change.

Consider various populations of bacteria whose populations are modelled by the function 𝑃(𝑡) =
1000 0.5𝑎𝑡
𝑒 , where 𝑃(𝑡) is the population, 𝑡 is the time in hours, and 𝑎 is some positive constant.
𝑎

Your job is to create a plot of how different populations behave for different values of 𝑎. Use a for
loop to go through values of 𝑎 in the interval [1, 2] in steps of 0.1 (𝑎 = 1, 𝑎 = 1.1, 𝑎 = 1.2 … 𝑎 =
2), and plot all of them on the same figure (11 different functions). Hint: Before the for loop, use a
figure command to create a new figure window and hold on to keep all plots on the same
figure.
Use your figure to answer the following questions:
1. Using your understanding of exponential functions, identify the general order or pattern of
which function (𝑎 value) corresponds to which line.
2. Which population grows the fastest as 𝑡 → ∞? At what value of 𝑡 does it becomes the biggest
population? (Similar to previous labs, you may need to use the axis function and the zoom
tool in the figure window to see this. You may also want to adjust the domain of 𝑡 values you
are using.)
3. Choose three of the populations and read the figure to estimate the doubling time (amount of
time it takes for the population to double) for each. Does this match what you can find
analytically using the function expression? Can you find a relationship between the doubling
time and 𝑎 value?
4. In a paragraph or two, please discuss similarities/differences in doing matrix math by-hand
versus via Matlab. When is one more appropriate than another? If so, when? What are some
important considerations an engineer should think about when using “for” loops?

For submission by Wednesday October 25th 11:59pm via MAT188 PRA website: 1-page PDF file
with appropriate screenshots and clear answers to the questions in the lab, including completion of
Table 1. Please write your name and student number on your submission for credit.

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