Instructor: Xiaofeng Zhou
Introduction to MATLAB
◦ MATLAB Environment
◦ Constants
◦ Variables and Assignment Statements
◦ Operators
 Built-in function
 Script File/M-File
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What is MATLAB?
◦ Short for MATrix LABoratory
◦ Capable of solving any technical problems: Very powerful software
package
◦ Typical uses:
 Data analysis, exploration and visualization, Scientific and engineering graphics,
simulation, Computation, Algorithm development, Modeling, etc.
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/discovery/what-is-matlab.html
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab.html
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Many built-in functions
Programming constructs
Many mathematical and graphical applications
MATLAB computing environment:
◦ Can use interactively in the Command Window, or write your own programs

The company: Mathworks
◦ www.mathworks.com
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 MATLAB
◦ User: engineers and scientists
◦ Analyze data, develop algorithms, construct models
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab.htm
l?s_tid=hp_ff_p_matlab
 Simulink
◦ Design and simulate your system in Simulink
before moving to hardware.
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/products/simulink.ht
ml?s_tid=hp_ff_p_simulink
◦ Not covered in this course
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 MATLAB for Student
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/st
udent.html?s_tid=hp_ff_p_student
 Learn with MATLAB tutorials
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/support/learnwith-matlab-tutorials.html
 Course and Training
◦ Self-Paced Online Courses - MATLAB & Simulink
◦ MATLAB Fundamentals - MATLAB & Simulink
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MATLAB for York University:
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/academia/tahportal/york-university-40713236.html
◦ Register account with your YORKU Email
◦ Download and install to your local drive
◦ List of available product:
https://www.mathworks.com/products.html
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Alternatively, using MATLAB online:
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlabonline.html
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https://matlab.info.yorku.ca/
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Change your current folder
Current
folder
Current
Workspace
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Command window
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 Start MATLAB
 >>: prompt
 Example:
m = 10
n = 100
m+n
 Textbook: Intro with
App
◦ Page 12: Tutorial 1-1
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 pi: , 3.1415926…
 i/j:
−1
 inf: infinity 
 NaN: stands for “not a number”, such as 0/0
 e: known as Euler's number
◦ built function exp()
 eps:
◦ Double precision: 2^(-52)
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 Variable name
rules
◦ must begins with a letter, followed by any combination of
letters, digits and underscores. No space allowed.
◦ Case sensitive
 Age and age are two variables
◦ Reserved words/key words/names can not be used as
variable name
◦ Avoid use the names of built-in function
◦ Be mnemonic
◦ Maximum length: 63 (R2012a): namelengthmax
 Create variable: assignment statement
◦ Format: variable name = expression
Assignment operator
◦ If a variable already exists, a variable‘s value is over
written when assign a value
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 Putting a semicolon at end of a statement
suppresses the output
 ans: default variable name used by MATLAB if
an expression is typed at the prompt and it is
not assigned to a variable
 Retyping command: 

The Workspace Window shows the variables that
have been created in the current Command Window
and their values
 The following commands relate to variables:
◦ who , whos ,clear all , clear variable list
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Every expression, or variable, has a type associated
with it: Class
 For float or real numbers: single and double
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◦ MATLAB uses a floating-point representation
For integers: int8, int16, int32 and int64
 For unsigned integers: uint8, uint16, uint32, and
uint64
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◦ Can only be positive number or 0
The range can be found using intmin(‘ ’) and intmax(‘ ‘)
 The type char is used to store either single characters
or strings, strings are sequences of characters. Both
characters and strings are enclosed in single quotes.
 The type logical is used to store true/false values
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 Expressions can be created using values,
variables, operators, built-in functions,
parentheses
◦ Example: x= a + b * 3 – max (n, m)
◦ Note: a, b, n, and m have to be assigned value before
use
 The result will be displayed with 4 decimal
places if it has decimal point by default
 Numerical value: scientific or exponential
notation
◦ 20000 -> 2e4
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 format long: change the format to long, i.e.
15 decimal places
 format short: change the format to short, i.e.
4 decimal places
 format loose (the default) and format
compact are used to control the spacing
between the MATLAB command/expression
and result
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 Two types: unary and operand/binary
 Math operators
◦ +, -, *, /, \, ^
 Relational operators
◦ <, >, <=, >=, ==, ~=
 Logical operators
◦ ~ not, || or, && and; & and, | or (elementwise) (to be
introduced in next class)
 Function: xor, is the exclusive or function. It
returns logical true if one (and only one) of the
arguments is true.
 Continuation operator/ellipsis
◦ Three or more period
◦ Example: >> 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 …
+ 6 +7
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Associativity : Within a given precedence level, the
expressions are evaluated from left to right
 Nested parentheses are parentheses inside of others;
the expression in the inner parentheses is evaluated
first
 Precedence
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 There are many built-in functions
 help can be used to identify MATLAB functions
 Example: >>help elfun
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 Call a function
◦ Function name(argument/arguments)
◦ Example: abs(-4)
 Commonly used functions
◦ sin( )/sind(), abs( ), fix( ), floor( ), ceil( ), round( ),
rem( ), sign( ), log(), log2(), log10(), exp()
◦ Use help documentation to find the functionality
of above built-in functions
 Textbook: Intro with App
◦ Page 14: Tutorial 1-2
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 Characters are represented using single quotes
‘ ‘.
◦ Example: ‘x’, ‘!’ and ‘5’ are all characters, 5 is a
number
 Character set include all letters of alphabet,
digits and punctuation marks, special
characters, such as Enter key.
 Character encoding: Characters are put in an
order, and given equivalent integer values
◦ Example: ASCII
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 Numeric function can convert a character to
its equivalent numerical value, e.g. double(‘a’)
->97, int32(‘a’), double(‘abcd’)
 Function char; convert number to the
equivalent character. E.g. char(97)
 deg2rad/rad2deg: conversion betwwen
degrees and radians
 Example: use whos to show the type of
variables/number of bytes used
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A script file is a sequence of MATLAB commands – Program
 Create script file – using MATLAB editor.
◦ Create a script: File→New→Script,
 Script files can be typed and edited in any text editor and
then pasted into the MATLAB editor.
 Script files are also called M-files because the extension .m is
used when they are saved.
 The rules for file names are the same as for variables
 When a script file runs (is executed), MATLAB executes the
commands in the order they are written, just as if they were
typed in the Command Window.
 In the Command Window, the contents of the script can be
displayed and executed.
>>type WCF %display the WCF.m script file
>>WCF % Execute WCF.m
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Editor window
The commands in the script file are typed line
by line
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 It is very important that all scripts be
documented well: comments
 In MATLAB, a comment is anything after a %
 Longer comments/comment blocks: %{ and %}
 Comments are completely ignored when the
script is executed
 To put in a comment, simply type the % symbol
at the beginning of a line, or select the
comment lines, then click Text→Comment
 >> help WCF %the first block of comments will
be displayed
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The Run icon
Comments
Define 2 variables
Calculate and display the WCF
WCF
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Run script file using command window
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 Textbook: Intro with App
◦ Page 27: 1.10 PROBLEMS
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 Textbook: Intro with App
◦ Page 27: 1.10 PROBLEMS
 3, 5, 7
 16, 22, 29
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Reference book: MATLAB: Introduction with Applications by Amos Gilat
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(C2C3)2 = (C1C2)2 + (C1C3)2 -2 (C1C2) (C1C3) cosγ1
Reference book: MATLAB: Introduction with Applications by Amos Gilat
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Reference book: MATLAB: Introduction with Applications by Amos Gilat
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Reference book: MATLAB: Introduction with Applications by Amos Gilat
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 Get started quickly with the basics of
MATLAB:
◦ https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/gettingstarted-with-matlab.html
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 MATLAB An Introduction with Applications
◦ Chapter 1
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