COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR ENGINEERS

A LECTURE PRESENTATION #4 (Matrices in Matlab)

By:

DR. SANI ABBA

DEPT. OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, FACULTY OF SCIENCE,
ATBU,BAUCHI, NIGERIA.

COURSE CODE: EA 413

COURSE TITLE: COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
ENGINEERS

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
authors: Andrew Knight; Misza, Kalechman; Brian Hahn and Dan Valentine.

List of Resources

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
1.2
authors: Bjarne, Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore.

1
 4.1 Working with matrices
 Matrices are the basic elements of the MATLAB environment. A
matrix is a two-dimensional array consisting of m rows and n
columns.

 Special cases are column vectors (n=1) and row vectors (m=1).

 In this presentation, we will illustrate how to apply different

operations on matrices. The following topics are discussed: vectors
and matrices in MATLAB, the inverse of a matrix, determinants, and
matrix manipulation.

 MATLAB supports two types of operations, known as matrix

operations and array operations. Matrix operations will be
discussed first.
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-3

4.1.1 Working with matrices

Matrix generation
 Matrices are fundamental to MATLAB. Therefore, we need to become
familiar with matrix generation and manipulation. Matrices can be
generated in several ways.
Entering a vector
 A vector is a special case of a matrix. The purpose of this presentation
is to show how to create vectors and matrices in MATLAB.

 As discussed earlier, an array of dimension 1 × n is called a row

vector, whereas an array of dimension m × 1 is called a column
vector.

 The elements of vectors in MATLAB are enclosed by square

brackets and are separated by spaces or by commas.
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-4

2
 4.1.2 Working with matrices
For example, to enter a row vector v, type:
>> v = [1 4 7 10 13]

v=
1 4 7 10 13
Column vectors are created in a similar way; however, semicolon (;)
must separate the components of a column vector,

>> w = [1;4;7;10;13]
w=
1
4
7
10
13
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-5

4.1.3 Working with matrices

 On the other hand, a row vector is converted to a column vector using
the transpose operator. The transpose operation is denoted by an
apostrophe or a single quote (’).
>> w = [1;4;7;10;13]
>> v = w'
v=
1 4 7 10 13
 Thus, v(1) is the first element of vector v, v(2) its second element, and
so forth. Furthermore, to access blocks of elements, we use
MATLAB’s colon notation (:). For example, to access the first three
elements of v, we write,
>> v (1:3)

ans =
1 4 7
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-6

3
 4.1.4 Working with matrices
 Or, all elements from the third through the last elements,
>> v = [1 4 7 10 13]

>> v(3,end)

ans =
7 10 13

 Where end signifies the last element in the vector. If v is a vector,

writing
>> v(:)
Produces a column vector, whereas writing

>> v(1:end) produces row vector.

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-7

4.1.5 Working with matrices

Entering a matrix

 A matrix is an array of numbers. To type a matrix into MATLAB you

must:
 begin with a square bracket, [
 Separate elements in a row with spaces or commas (,)
 use a semicolon (;) to separate columns
 end the matrix with another square bracket,].

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-8

4
 4.1.6 Working with matrices
 Here is a typical example. To enter a matrix A, such as,

Type,
>> A = [1 2 3; 4 5 6; 7 8 9]

 MATLAB then displays the 3 × 3 matrix as follows,

A =
1 4 7
2 5 8
3 6 9

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-9

4.1.7 Working with matrices

 Note that the use of semicolons (;) here is different from their use
mentioned earlier to suppress output or to write multiple commands in
a single line.

 Once we have entered the matrix, it is automatically stored and

remembered in the Workspace.

 We can refer to it simply as matrix A. We can then view a particular

element in a matrix by specifying its location. We write:

>> A(2,1)
ans =
4

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-10

5
 4.2 Working with matrices
Matrix indexing
 We select elements in a matrix just as we did for vectors, but now we
need two indices.

 The element of row i and column j of the matrix A is denoted by A (i

, j). Thus, A (i, j) in MATLAB refers to the element Aij of matrix A.

 The first index is the row number and the second index is the
column number.

 For example, A (1, 3) is an element of first row and third column.

Here, A (1,3)=3. Correcting any entry is easy through indexing.

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-11

4.2.1 Working with matrices

 A (3,3)=0. The result is:

>> A (3, 3) = 0
A=
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 0

 Single elements of a matrix are accessed as A(i, j), where i ≥ 1 and j

≥ 1. Zero or negative subscripts are not supported in MATLAB.

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-12

6
 4.2.2 Working with matrices
Colon operator

 The colon operator will prove very useful and understanding how it
works is the key to efficient and convenient usage of MATLAB.

 It occurs in several different forms. Often we must deal with matrices

or vectors that are too large to enter one element at a time.

 For example, suppose we want to enter a vector x consisting of points

(0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, · · ·, 5). We can use the command.

>> x = 0:0.1:5;

The row vector has 51 elements.

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-13

4.2.3 Working with matrices

Linear spacing
 On the other hand, there is a command to generate linearly spaced
vectors: linspace.
 It is similar to the colon operator (:), but give direct control over the
number of points.
 For example, y = linspace (a,b) ,generates a row vector y of 100
points linearly spaced between and including a and b. y = linspace
(a,b,n) ,generates a row vector y of n points linearly spaced between
and including a and b.
 This is useful when we want to divide an interval into a number of
subintervals of the same length. For example,
>> theta = linspace(0,2*pi,101)

 Divides the interval [0, 2π] into 100 equal subintervals, then creating
a vector of 101 elements.
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-14

7
 4.2.4 Working with matrices
Colon operator in a matrix
 The colon operator can also be used to pick out a certain row or
column. For example, the statement A (m:n,k:l ) specifies rows m to
n and column k to l. Subscript expressions refer to portions of a
matrix. For example,
>> A (2,:)
ans =
4 5 6

 Is the second row element of A.

 The colon operator can also be used to extract a sub-matrix from a

matrix A.
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-15

4.2.5 Working with matrices

 The colon operator can also be used to extract a sub-matrix from a
matrix A.
>> A(:,2:3)
ans =
2 3
5 6
8 0

 A(:,2:3) is a sub-matrix with the last two columns of A.

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-16

8
 4.2.6 Working with matrices

 A row or a column of a matrix can be deleted by setting it to a null

vector, [ ].

>> A (:,2)=[]
ans =
1 3
4 6
7 0

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-17

4.3 Working with matrices

Creating a sub-matrix
 To extract a submatrix B consisting of rows 2 and 3 and columns 1
and 2 of the matrix A, do the following:

>> B = A ([2 3],[1 2])

B=
4 5
7 8
 To interchange rows 1 and 2 of A, use the vector of row indices
together with the colon operator.

>> C = A ([2 1 3], :)

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-18

9
 4.3.1 Working with matrices
>> C = A ([2 1 3], :)

C=
4 5 6
1 2 3
7 8 0

 It is important to note that the colon operator (:) stands for all
columns or all rows.

 To create a vector version of matrix A, do the following: see next

slide.

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-19

4.3.2 Working with matrices

 It is important to note that the colon operator (:) stands for all columns
or all rows. To create a vector version of matrix A, do the following:

>> A(:)
ans =
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-20

10
 4.3.3 Working with matrices
 The submatrix comprising the intersection of rows p to q and
columns r to s is denoted by A(p:q, r:s).

 As a special case, a colon (:) as the row or column specifier covers all
entries in that row or column; thus;

 A(:,j) is the jth column of A, while

 A(i,:) is the ith row, and
 A(end,:) picks out the last row of A.

 The keyword end, used in A(end,:), denotes the last index in the
specified dimension. Here are some examples, see next slide.
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-21

4.3.4Working with matrices

>> A
A=
1 4 7
2 5 8
3 6 9
>> A(2:3,2:3)
ans =
5 6
8 9
>> A(end:-1:1,end)
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-22

11
 4.3.5 Working with matrices

>> A(end:-1:1,end)
ans =
9
6
3

>> A([1 3],[2 3])

ans =
2 3
8 9
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-23

4.3.6 Working with matrices

Deleting row or column
 To delete a row or column of a matrix, use the empty vector operator,
[ ].
>> A (3,:) = []
A=
1 2 3
4 5 6
 Third row of matrix A is now deleted. To restore the third row, we
use a technique for creating a matrix.

>> A = [A (1,:);A(2,:);[7 8 0]]

A=
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 0
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-24

12
Dimension
4.4 Working with matrices

 To determine the dimensions of a matrix or vector, use the command

size. For example,

>> size(A)
ans =
3 3

 Means 3 rows and 3 columns. Or more explicitly with,

>> [m,n]=size(A)

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-25

4.4.1 Working with matrices

Continuation

 If it is not possible to type the entire input on the same line, use
consecutive periods, called an ellipsis . . ., to signal continuation, then
continue the input on the next line.

B= [ 4/5 7.23*tan(x) sqrt(6); …

1/x^2 0 3/(x*log(x)); …
x-7 sqrt(3) x*sin(x)]

 Note that blank spaces around +, −, = signs are optional, but they
improve readability.

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-26

13
 4.4.2 Working with matrices
Transposing a matrix

 The transpose operation is denoted by an apostrophe or a single quote

(’). It flips a matrix about its main diagonal and it turns a row vector
into a column vector. Thus;

>> A’
ans =
1 4 7
2 5 8
3 6 0

 By using linear algebra notation, the transpose of m × n real matrix A

is the n × m matrix that results from interchanging the rows and
columns of A. The transpose matrix is denoted AT.
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-27

4.4.3 Working with matrices

Concatenating matrices
Matrices can be made up of sub-matrices. Here is an example. First, let’s recall our
previous matrix A.
A=
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
The new matrix B will be,
>> B = [A 10*A; -A [1 0 0; 0 1 0; 0 0 1]]
B=
1 2 3 10 20 30
4 5 6 40 50 60
7 8 9 70 80 90
-1 -2 -3 1 0 0
-4 -5 -6 0 1 0
-7 -8 -9 0 0 1
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-28

14
 4.5 Working with matrices
Matrix generators
 MATLAB provides functions that generate elementary matrices. The
matrix of zeros, the matrix of ones, and the identity matrix are
returned by the functions zeros, ones, and eye, respectively.

Table 5: Elementary matrices

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-29

4.5.1 Working with matrices

 For a complete list of elementary matrices and matrix manipulations,
type helps elmat or doc elmat. Here are some examples:

1. >> b=ones (3,1)

b=
1
1
1
Equivalently, we can define b as >> b=[1;1;1]

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-30

15
 4.5.2 Working with matrices
2. >> eye (3)
ans =
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1

3. >> c=zeros (2,3)

c=
0 0 0
0 0 0

 In addition, it is important to remember that the three elementary

operations of addition (+), subtraction (−), and multiplication (∗)
apply also to matrices whenever the dimensions are compatible.
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-31

4.5.3 Working with matrices

 Two other important matrix generation functions are rand and randn,
which generate matrices of (pseudo-) random numbers using the same
syntax as eye. In addition, matrices can be constructed in a block
form. With C defined by C = [1 2; 3 4], we may create a matrix D as
follow:
>> D = [C zeros (2); ones (2,1) eye (2)]

D=
1 2 0 0
3 4 0 0
1 1 1 0
1 1 0 1
Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-32

16
 4.6 Working with matrices
Special matrices
 MATLAB provides a number of special matrices (see Table below).
These matrices have interesting properties that make them useful for
constructing examples and for testing algorithms.

 For more information, see MATLAB documentation.

Table 6: Special Matrix

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-33

3.7 Conclusion

 In this lecture presentation, you learnt the basics concept of Matlab

programming.

 In addition, you learnt about matrices in Matlab.

 This is the end of this presentation In the next class, we will continue
with the basics of the Matlab Programming language. Guess what? …
Arrays and linear equations in Matlab.

Welcome to Matlab Programming Language!

Acknowledgement: A lecture note presentation adapted and prepared based on the books by the following
ECEBjarne,
authors: 361 Stroustrup; Ulla, Kirch-Prinz and Peter, Prinz; Robert, Lafore. 1-34

17
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR ENGINEERS

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