Introduction To Matlab

Class 1

Instructors: Hristiyan (Chris) Kourtev

and Xiaotao Su, PhD
Double click the matlab icon
When prompted click Skip, then type:
mkdir C:/MatlabClass/YourLastName
cd C:/MatlabClass/YourLastName

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Introduction
Ask Questions!
Slides, notes, assignments, and other info will be at:

http://ruccs.rutgers.edu/matlab_course/

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Setup
Click Matlab

mkdir C:/MatlabClass/YourLastName
cd C:/MatlabClass/YourLastName

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Programming
Matlab has its own programming language
What is a program?
A series of instructions that the computer follows
Also referred to as Code or a Script

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Two Options For Where To Issue

Commands/Instructions
In the command window
In a script (program) executed by the command window.

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Hello World
At the command prompt type:
my_var = hello world;
And press ENTER.

Note:The_characteristhe
shifteddash
SHIFT+
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Hello World

my_var = hello world;

Semicolonissoyoudont
outputtheresulttothe
screen.
Variable
Name
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Singlequotesdenotecharacterstring

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Variables
num_oranges=3.5
num_apples=7

my_var = hello world;

Variable
Name
UnitName

helloworld

3.5

my_var

num_oranges

7
num_apples

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Memory
Each of the values are
stored in memory
associated with the
variable name
The who command will
list the current variables in
memory
Typing my_var will return
the value of that variable

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Yourcomputersmemory
VarName

Value

my_var

helloworld

num_apples

num_oranges

3.5

subject_name

johnsmith

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Setting values
As you have seen you set the value of a variable with the =
sign
You can also set a variable equal to another variable or the
output of an operation on a variable.

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Setting values
new_var=my_var
third_character=my_var(3)

thisis7
thisis3.5

fruit=num_apples+num_oranges
num_apples=6

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whatisthevalueoffruitnow?

thisisnow10.5

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Changing around strings

Typing my_var(3) will return l

my_variscurrently
helloworld

my_var(3) = my_var(1)
Now what is the value of my_var?

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Calling Functions
A function is a program that you call on to do some sort of
action
length(hello world)
length(my_var)
disp(my_var)

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Nesting Functions
disp(length(my_var))

disp(length(helloworld))
disp(11)
11
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Whathappenshere?

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Your first program

What is pseudo-code and why we need it
Typing commands one at a time isnt very efficient, especially
when you want to do the same ones repeatedly
so we create a program to do it
This program will be called mix_strings

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Comments
Comments are descriptions of what is happening in your
code.
They are need to follow what is happening for debugging
purposes
At the beginning of a script you put in a type of comment
called a header

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%symbolmakesthislinecommentedout
Thismeansthatthecomputerwillignoretheselines
Theselinesarentforthecomputer,theyareforyou

% mix_strings.m
Nameoffile
%
% Displays the string hello world
% Then scrambles letters in that string and
% displays the scrambled string
%
% written by XYZ 3/6/2005

Description:
Whatdoesthis
filedo?

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Whowroteitandwhen?

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So what is the header good for?

Save the file
At the command line type:
help mix_strings
All matlab programs have headers. Find out information on disp,
pause, and length

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What else?
lookfor can be used to search for programs that have certain
words in their headers.
lookfor string
lookfor random

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Back to the program

clear all;
my_var = hello world;
mixstr = my_var;
mixstr(3) = my_var(1);
mixstr(1) = my_var(3);
disp(mixstr);

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Now run it
In the command window:
mix_strings

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loops
Used to repeat the same chunk of code many times

for i=1:5
disp(i)
end;

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mix_strings2.m
clear all;
my_var = hello world;
mixstr = xxxxxxxxxx;
for i=1:length(my_var)
mixstr(i) = my_var(i);
end;
disp(mixstr)

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rand and ceil

rand will create a random number from
0 to 1
ceil will round up any number to the next integer
Together you can create random integers
ceil(rand*7)

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task 1
Replace each x in mixstr with a random character
from my_var.
Start with the first x, then the second x
hello world
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Result could be -> wdolhrdlhlwe

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% mix_strings3.m
%
%Displays the string 'hello world, then scrambles letters in that string
%and displays the scrambled string
%
% written by Chris Kourtev 7/12/2010
clear all;
my_var = 'hello world';
mixstr = 'xxxxxxxxxxxxx';
disp(my_var);
for i = 1:length(mixstr)
mixstr(i) = my_var(ceil(rand*length(my_var)));
end;
disp(mixstr);
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Vectors & Matrixes

A string is a list of characters
You can also have lists of numbers using vectors and
matrixes
vect = [1, 2, 5, 6, 3]
mat = [1, 5, 3; 2, 1, 5; 7, 9, 0]

mat=[1,5,3;
2,1,5;
7,9,0]
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Vectors & Matrixes

vect = [1, 2, 5, 6, 3]
mat = [1, 5, 3; 2, 1, 5; 7, 9, 0]

Vect

mat 1

2
7
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2
5
1
9

3
5
0

mat=[1,5,3;
2,1,5;
7,9,0]
5

note:vectorsarebasically
1dimensionalmatrixes

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Getting Values out of Vectors & Matrixes

Vect

vect(3)returns5
mat

1
2
7

5
1
9

3
5
0

mat(3,1)returns7
Note:togetacellyouuse(ROW,COLUMN)
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vector as a 1D matrix
vect = [1;
2;
3]
vect2 = vect

1
2
3

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transposing mat
mat=

1
2
7

5
1
9

3
5
0

mat=

1
5
3
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2
1
5

7
9
0

ifyousett_mat=mat
t_mat(3,1)isequaltomat(1,3)
Rowsandcolumnsareswapped
whenyoutransposeamatrix

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performing operations
vect + 3
vect + vect
vect - 3
vect + [5, 4, 3]
mat+mat

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multiply and divide

Dont forget to put a dot before multiplication and
division symbols
vect.*3
mat.*0.5
vect./2
vect2 = [2; 2; 4]
vect.*vect2
vect./vect2

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task 2
Create a 6(rows)x4(columns) matrix filled with random integer
values between 1 and 20
Create a zeroes matrix of the same dimensions
Replace each zero with a random number from the other matrix
(as we did in the mix_strings program)
Display each value in the new mixed matrix
Hint 1: You will need to use nested loops
Hint 2: Look up how to use the zeros command
** Advanced task: Design your program so that it can work with
matrices of any dimension just by changing the number of rows
and column. Hint: Look up the size command
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