Getting started with MATLAB or Python

Introduction to the Command Line

MATLAB MATLAB IS CASE SENSITIVE!!! For example, A is not the same thing as a. This is very important when working with variable and function names. Common Command Line Commands and Functions doc function_name Brings up information on any built-in MATLAB function (i.e. it accesses the help directory entry). Before After edit Opens the text editor Before After clc Clears the screen Before After clear Clears the variables from the workspace (and from memory) Before After Built in Functions MATLAB has an array of simple built in functions. Basically all of the rudimentary calculation types that you can think of (sin,cos,exp,etc.) have a built in MATLAB function that may be called at the command line and coded into a script or function file (as the need arises). A few examples are shown in the screenshot below. Built in Constants MATLAB also has predefined variables for fundamental constants (ex. pi, Inf, i). Be wary though, as these can be easily overwritten by the user. As a rule of thumb try not to name your variables after any fundamental mathematical constant. fprintf() and disp() fprintf() and disp() provide a means of printing text to the command window. While obviously not useful at the command line (as the example below shows), these statements will become useful when you begin writing your own scripts and functions (either as a means of displaying intermediate results or as a means of tracking down bugs). disp() is a simple display function that prints arrays or strings directly to the command window. fprintf() is a more robust function that allows formatting of the string to be printed as well as output specification (for use in printing to files). The default output is set to the command window. Semicolon Placing a semicolon at the end of a line of code will suppress any output produced by that line. This (along with fprintf() and break points) can help in debugging code. Unless you are debugging it is good practice to end all lines of code with a semi-colon to avoid a bunch of garbage intermediate values being printed out at the command line. Variables Matrices Matrix Operations Dot and Colon Operator Accessing Submatrices Concatenation

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Scripts and Functions

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Code Structures

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Plotting Data

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Additional Resources

MATLAB MATLAB primer: A quick guide to MATLAB written by Dr. Prashant Mhaskar. Getting started with MATLAB 7: An extensive guide to MATLAB written by MathWorks. Online MATLAB tutorial: An online MATLAB tutorial generated by the University of Florida. MathWorks documentation: The central repository for all documentation on products distributed by MathWorks™. MATLAB Central File Exchange: A database for user generated MATLAB code.

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