Chapter 1 Starting with MATLAB ‘This chapter begins by describing the characteristics and purposes of the different windows in MATLAB. Next, the Command Window is introduced in detail and is the only one that is used in the rest of the chapter. Chapter 1 shows how to use MATLAB for arithmetic operations with scalars, similar to the way that a calcula~ tor is used. This includes the use of elementary math functions with scalars. The chapter then shows how to define scalar variables (the assignment operator) and how to use these variables in arithmetic calculations. 1.1 StarTING MATLAB, MATLAB Winpows Itis assumed that the software is installed on the computer, and that the user can start the program. Once the program starts, the window that opens, shown in Fig- ure 1-1, contains three smaller windows which are the Command Window, the Workspace Window, and the Command History Window. This is the default view of MATLAB. These windows are three of eight different windows in MATLAB. A list of the various windows and their purpose is given in Table 1-1. The Start ‘button on the lower left side is a new addition in MATLAB 6.5. It can be used to access MATLAB tools and features. Four of the windows, the Command Window, the Figure Window, the Editor Window, and the Help Window, are used extensively throughout the book and are briefly described on the following page. More detailed descriptions are included in the chapters where they are used. ‘Command Window: The Command Window is MATLAB's main window, and ‘opens when MATLAB is started. It is convenient to have the Command Window as the only visible window, and this can be done by either closing all the other windows (click on the x at the top right-hand side of the window you want to close), or by choosing the Command Window in the View menu in the toolbar. ‘How to work in the Command Window is described in detail in Section 1.2.Figure 1-1: The default view of MATLAB desktop. ‘Table 1-1: MATLAB Windows Window Purpose ‘Command Window ‘Main window, enters variables, runs programs. Figure Window Contains output from graphie com- mands. Editor Window ‘Creates and debugs script and fune- tion files. Help Window Provides help information. ‘Launch Pad Window Provides access to tools, demos, and documentation. ‘Command History Window | Logs commands entered in the Com- mand Window. Workspace Window Provides information about the vari- ables that are used. Current Directory Window | Shows the files in the current direc- tory. Figure Window: The Figure Window opens automatically when graphics com- mands are executed, and contains graphs created by these commands. An example of a Figure Window is shown in Figure 1-2. A more detailed description of this window is given in Chapter 5.Po ne atin yt oat) Figure 1-2: Example of a Figure Window. Editor Window: The Editor Window is used for writing and editing programs. This window is opened from the File menu in the Command Window. An exam- ple of an Editor Window is shown in Figure 1-3. More details on the Editor Win- dow are given in Chapter 4 where it is used for creating script files, and in Chapter 6 where it is used to create function files. EEE : [ooe[s ae h(SlaA rl eel aneat Prsinoeeb0) aye [ee Figure 1-3: Example of an Editor Window. Help Window: The Help Window contains help information. This window can be opened from the Help menu in the toolbar of any MATLAB window. The Help Window is interactive and can be used to obtain information on any feature of MATLAB. Figure 1-4 shows an open Help Window. ‘When MATLAB is started for the first time the sereen looks like that shown in Figure 1-1 on page 6. For most beginners it is probably convenient to close all the windows except the Command Window. The closed windows can be reopened by selecting them from the View menu. The windows shown in Figure 1-1 can be displayed by first selecting Desktop Layout in the View menu and then Default8 Chapter 1: Starting with MATLAB from the submenu. Learning MATLAB |[)) © ena MATLAB user gues fr a of ATLAS | Eipuamming Tas tpe en many arpects ofpogramning | ‘wth NATLAB. i + Exar maar oxarole inthe MATLAB ; | acumen noe t-Ralane ates + Gehiog Stated troduction MATLAB. i mary oso fea, Figure 1-4: The Help Window. 1.2 WORKING IN THE COMMAND WiNDow ‘The Command Window is MATLAB’s main window, and can be used for execut- jing commands, opening other windows, running programs written by the user, and ‘managing the software. An example of the Command Window, with several sim- pple commands that will be explained later in this chapter, is shown in Figure 1-5. Figure 1-5: The Command Window.; fue Command Window 9 | | Notes for working in the Command Window: Notes for working in the Command Window: | + To type a command the cursor must be placed next to the command prompt (>> ). | + Once a command is typed and the Enter key is pressed, the command is executed. However, only the last command is executed. Everything executed previously is unchanged. «Several commands can be typed in the same line. This is done by typing a comma | ‘between the commands. When the Enter key is pressed the commands are exe- cuted in order from left to right. | + Iris not possible to go back to a previous line in the Command Window, make a correction, and then re-execute the command, «A previously typed command can be recalled to the command prompt with the up- | arrow key ( + ). When the command is displayed at the command prompt, it can be modified if needed and executed. The down-arrow key ( 4 ) can be used to move down the previously typed commands. + Ifa.command is too long to fit in one line, it can be continued to the next line by typing three periods ... (called an ellipsis) and pressing the Enter key. The con- tinuation of the command is then typed in the new line. The command can con- tinue line after line up to a total of 4096 characters. When 2 command is typed in the Command Window and the Enter key is pressed, the command is executed. Any output that the command generates i dis- played in the Command Window. Ifa semicolon ( ; ) is typed at the end of a com- mand the output of the command is not displayed. Typing a semicolon is useful ‘when the result is obvious or known, or when the output is very large. If several commands are typed in the same line, the output from any of the commands will not be displayed if a semicolon is typed between the commands instead of a comma. Typing %: ‘When the symbol % (percent symbol) is typed in the beginning of a line, the line is designated as a comment. This means that when the Enter key is pressed the line is not executed. The % character followed by text (comment) can also be typed after a command (in the same line). This has no effet on the execution of the command. Usually there is no need for comments in the Command Window. Comments, however, are frequently used in programs to add descriptions, or to explain the program (see Chapters 4 and 6).The cle comman The cle command (type clc and press Enter) clears the Command Window. After working in the Command Window for a while, the display may be very Jong. Once the clc command is executed a clear window is displayed. The com- ‘mand does not change anything that was done before. For example, if some vari- ables were defined previously (see Section 1.6), they still exist and can be used. The up-arrow key can also be used to recall commands that were typed before. 1.3 ARITHMETIC OPERATIONS WITH SCALARS In this chapter we discuss only arithmetic operations with scalars, which are num- bers. As will be explained later in the chapter, numbers can be used in arithmetic calculations directly (as with a calculator), or they can be assigned to variables, which can subsequently be used in calculations. The symbols of arithmetic opera- tions are: Operation ‘Symbol Example Addition + 543 Subtraction - 5-3 Multiplication . 5*3 Right division / 5/3 Left division q 5\3=3/5 Exponentiation 7 53 (means 5°= 125) It should be pointed out here that all the symbols except the left division are the same as in most calculators. For scalars, the left division is the inverse of the right division. The left division, however, is mostly used for operations with arrays, which are discussed in Chapter 3. 1.3.1 Order of Precedence ‘MATLAB executes the calculations according to the order of precedence dis- played below. This order is the same as used in most calculators. Precedence © Mathematical Operation First Parentheses, For nested parentheses, the innermost are executed first. Second Exponentiation. Third Multiplication, division (equal precedence). Fourth ‘Addition and subtraction.Operations with Scalars In an expression that has several operations, higher-precedence operations are executed before lower-precedence operations. If two or more operations have the same precedence, the expression is executed from left to right. As illustrated in the next section, parentheses can be used to change the order of calculations. 1.3.2 Using MATLAB as a Calculator ‘The simplest way to use MATLAB is as a calculator. This is done in the Com- ‘mand Window by typing a mathematical expression and pressing the Enter key. MATLAB calculates the expression and responds by displaying ans = and the ‘numerical result of the expression in the next line. This is demonstrated in Tutorial 1. ‘Tutorial 1-1: Using MATLAB as a calculator, sey een a ee ee a : 35 (7+8)2 oes ‘Type and press Enter. ans = ; (7#Bis executed first 000. es - Se ar5B42 ee [33 is executed first. 7.6667, Bees pe ans ans= ‘53 is executed Sst, 2 is executed net “62,5000. >> 2791/3) + 3290.2. x — [iis exeouted first, 27°03) and 32°0.2 are _ [executed next, and + is executed last. sapyper0a Gerad) oe coeoed fis, 8s cae cuted next and ip exeuted ast press Enter) to continue the expression on the next line.Chapter: Starting eth MATLAB 1.4 DISPLAY FORMATS ‘The user can control the format in which MATLAB displays output on the screen. In Tutorial 1-1, the output format is fixed-point with 4 decimal digits (called short), which is the default format for numerical values. The format can be changed with the format command, Once the format command is entered, all the output that follows is displayed in the specified format. Several of the avail- able formats are listed and described in Table 1-2. MATLAB has several other formats for displaying numbers. Details of these formats can be obtained by typing help format in the Command Window. The format in which numbers are displayed does not affect how MATLAB computes and saves numbers. Table 1-2: Display formats Command Description ‘Example format short | Fixed-point with 4 decimal digits for: 0.001 s number < 1000 Otherwise display format short e. : Format long | Fixed-point with 14 decimal digits for: 0.001 $number < 100 Otherwise display format longe. ¢ format short e |Scientific notation with 4 |>290/7 decimal digits. ms 4142981001 format longe |Scientific notation with 15 |>>29077" decimal digits. 1.42857142857143 format short g | Best of S-digit fixed or floating point. Format longg | Best of 15-digit fixed or floating point. format bank | Two decimal digits.‘Table 1. Display formats (Continued) ‘Command Description Example format compact | Eliminates empty lines to allow more lines with informa- tion displayed on the screen. Format loose __ | Adds empty lines (opposite of compact). 4,5 ELEMENTARY MATH BUILT-IN FUNCTIONS In addition to basic arithmetic operations, expressions in MATLAB can include functions. MATLAB has a very large library of built-in functions. A funetion has a name and an argument in parentheses. For example, the function that calculates the square root of a number is sqrt (x). Its name is sart, and the argument is x. When the function is used, the argument can be a number, a variable that has been assigned a numerical value (explained in Section 1.6), or 2 computable expression that can be made up of numbers and/or variables. Functions can also be included in arguments, as well as in expressions. Tutorial 1-2 shows examples of using the function saxt (xx) when MATLAB is used as a calculator with sca~ lars. ‘Tutorial 1-2: Using the sqxt built-in function. sao ans= i ‘ 8 ie : ore >> sant50+ 149) : ats= 5 G 95917 : ue ee) ayes ‘ ey >> (15 + 600/4)/sqrt(121) _. { Funetion is included in an expression. ans = HDs i “15 : ee 2 % > a oo Lists of some commonly used elementary MATLAB mathematical built-in functions are given in Tables 1-3 through 1-5. A complete list of functions orga- nized by name of category can be found in the Help Window.wa ater Js Starting with MATLAB ‘Table 1-3: Elementary math functions Function Description srt (x) ‘Square root. exp (x) Exponential (e). abs (x) Absolute value. Bae ae : Tog ‘Natural logarithm. > log(1000) Base e logarithm (In). p Togo (x) Base 10 logarithm. factorial (x) | The factorial function x! (e must be a positive integer.) ‘Table 1-4: Trigonometric math functions Function Description Example Sang sin(x) Sine of angle x (x in radians). cos (x) Cosine of angle x (x in radians). tan (x) “Tangent of angle x (x in radi- ans). cot (x) Cotangent of angle x Gr in radi- | 74 ans). ‘The inverse trigonometric functions are asin (x), acos (x), atan (x), and cot (x). The hyperbolic trigonometric functions are sinh (x), cosh (x), ‘tanh (x) , and coth (xx) . The previous table uses pi which is equal to m (see Section 1.6.3).‘Table 1-5: Rounding functions Function Description ‘Example ound (x) Round to the nearest integer. | >> Found(i7/5) ‘ans 3 £ix (x) Round towards zero. > AOS) 2 ceil (x) Round towards infinity. 5> ell il8) 3 ELoox (x) Round towards minus infinity. | >> floow(-9/4) a rem(x,¥) Retums the remainder after xis | >>rem(13.5) divided by y. S aS : sign (x) ‘Signum function, Retums Lif | >> sex) x>0,-Lifx<0, and 0if ans= 1 1.6 DEFINING SCALAR VARIABLES ‘Avvariable is a name made of a letter or a combination of several letters (and dig- its) that is assigned a numerical value. Once a variable is assigned a numerical vvalue, it can be used in mathematical expressions, in functions, and in any MAT- LAB statements and commands. A variable is actually a name of a memory loca- tion. When a new variable is defined, MATLAB allocates an appropriate memory space where the variable’s assignment is stored. When the variable is used the stored data is used. If the variable is assigned a new value the content of the ‘memory location is replaced. (In Chapter 1 we only consider variables that are assigned numerical values that are scalars. Assigning and addressing variables that are arrays is discussed in Chapter 2.) 1.6.1 The Assignment Operator InMATLAB the = sign is called the assignment operator. The assignment opera- tor assigns a value to a variable, ‘Variable_name = A numerical value, or a computable expression + The left-hand side of the assignment operator can include only one variable name.w6 Chapter 1 Starting with MATLAB ‘The right-hand side can be a number, or a computable expression that can include numbers and/or variables that were previously assigned numerical values. When the Enter key is pressed the numerical value of the right-hand side is assigned to the variable, and MATLAB displays the variable and its assigned value in the next ‘wo lines. ‘The following shows how the assignment operator works: (The number 15 is assigned to the variable x. se MATLAB displays the variable and its assigned value. ‘Anew value is assigned to x. The | new value is 3 times the previous | value of x minus 12. ‘The last statement (x = 3x~ 12) illustrates the difference between the assignment operator and the equal sign. If in this statement the = sign meant equal, the value of x would be 6 (solving the equation for x). ‘The use of previously defined variables to define a new variable is demon- strated next, Seis a= _{ Assign the value of the expres- || sion on the right-hand side to the variable C. + If. semicolon is typed at the end of the command then, when the Enter key is pressed, MATLAB does not display the variable with its assigned value (the vari- able still exists and is stored in memory). + Ifa variable already exists, typing the variable's name and pressing the Enter key will display the variable and its value in the next two lines. For example, the last demonstration is repeated below using semicolons:lo scommord ‘The variables a, B, and C are defined but are not displayed since a semicolon is typed at the end ofeach statement, The value of the variable C is displayed ty typing the name of he variable + Several assignments can be ype inthe same line. The sssiganentsm must be sepa- rated with a comma (spaces can be added after the comma). When the Enter key is pressed, the assignments are executed from left to right and the variables and their assignments are displayed. A variable is not displayed if'a semicolon is typed instead of a comma, For example, the assignments of the variables a, B, and C above can all be done in the same line. + Avariable that: pane exists can be reassigned anew value. For example: 3.ABB=72;/" | [A.value of 72 is assigned to the variable ABB. >> ABB ‘Anew value of 9 is assigned to the variable ABB. >> ABB see es eee ina es | [The current value of the variable is dis-| “9 played when the name of the variable is| Eo oe typed and the Enter key is pressed. ‘+ Once a variable is defined it can be used as an argument in functions. For exam-wg Chapter 1: Starting ith MATLAB 1.6.2 Rules About Variable Names + Variable names: = Can be up to 63 (in MATLAB 6.5) characters long (31 characters in MATLAB 6.0). + Can contain letters, digits, and the underscore character. ‘+ Must begin with a letter. + MATLAB is case sensitive; it distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase let- ters, For example, AA, Aa, aA, and aa are the names of four different variables. ‘+ Avoid using the names of a built-in function for a variable (i.e. avoid using: cos, sin, exp, sqrt, etc.). Once a function name is used to define a variable, the function cannot be used. 1.6.3 Predefined Variables ‘A number of frequently used variables are already defined when MATLAB is started. Some of the predefined variables are: ans A variable that has the value of the last expression that was not assigned to a specific variable (see Tutorial 1-1). If the user does not assign the value of fan expression to a variable, MATLAB automatically stores the result in ans. pi The number. eps The smallest difference between two numbers. Equals to 2°(-52), which is approximately 2.2204e-016, inf Used for infinity. 4 Defined as ./-1, which is: 0 + 1.0000i. 3 Same asi. NaN Stands for Not-a-Number. Used when MATLAB cannot determine a valid ‘numeric value. For example 0/0. ‘The predefined variables can be redefined to have any other value. The vari- ables pi, eps, and iné, are usually not redefined since they are frequently used in many applications. Other predefined variables like i and 3 are sometime rede~ fined (commonly in association with loops) when complex numbers are not involved in the application. 1.7 USEFUL COMMANDS FOR MANAGING VARIABLES The following are commands that can be used to eliminate variables or to obtain information about variables that have been created. When these commands are typed in the Command Window and the Enter key is pressed, they either provide information, or they perform a task as listed below.Command Outcome clear Removes all variables from the memory. clear xy z ‘Removes only variables x, y, and z from the memory. who Displays a list of the variables currently in the memory. whos Displays a list of the variables currently in the ‘memory and their size together with information about their bytes and class. 1.8 EXAMPLES OF MATLAB APPLICATIONS Sample Problem 1-1: Trigonometric identity A trigonometric identity is given by: coset = fanz + sinx 27 tame Verify that the identity is correct by calculating each side of the equation, substi- tuting x = 3. Solution ene oe cs >> LHS = cos(x/2)°2 oe 0.9045 . 2 es ees “ >> RHS = (tan(x) + sin(x))/@*an(x)) __( Caloulate the right-hand side. J RHS ke 5 aSSample Problem 1-2: Geometry and trigonometry Four circles are placed, as shown in the fig- ure. At each point that two circles are in contact they are tangent to each other. Determine the distance between the centers \ Cyand Cs, The radii of the circles are: \e R, = 16mm, R, = 65mm, R, = 12mm, and R, = 9.5mm. Solution ‘The lines that connect the centers of the circles cre- c ate four triangles. In two of the triangles, AC|C,C; : and AC}C;Cy, the lengths of all the sides are ic Known. This information is used to calculate the angles 7, and 7 in these triangles by using the law b Cy bfe\ of cosines. For example, is calculated from: (CxC5P = (CEP + (CCP -ACEANCrCs 008 7 ‘Next, the length of the side C,C, is calculated by ee considering the triangle AC,C,C;. This is done, again, by using the law of cosines (the lengths CC; and C,C, are known and the angle 7; is the sum of the angles 74 and y,). lengths of the sides. >> Gamal = acos(C12% + Cicy2- Cacyaya*clcarcicaye A S> Gamad = acos((C1C3°2 + C1C4™2 - C3C4*2VQ*CICI*C1C4)), >> Gama3 = Gamal + Gama2; (Calculate 7), %, and 75. > COCA sqm{ C1022 + C1OH'2- 2*CIC*C1CHcos(Gamad)) C2C4= - vo Calculate the length of 33.5051: 5 ee | side CyCs.1.8 Examples of MATLAB Applications 24 Sample Problem 1-3: Heat transfer An object with an initial temperature of 7, that is placed at time 1 ~ 0 inside a chamber that has a constant temperature of 7,, will experience a temperature change according to the equation: T= 7,+(%-Te™ where Tis the temperature of the object at times, and kis @ constant. A soda can at a temperature of 120°F (was left in the car) is placed inside a refrigerator where the temperature is 38°F. Determine, to the nearest degree, the temperature of the can after three hours. Assume k= 0.45, First define all the variables and then cal- culate the temperature using one MATLAB command. Solution 32 Ts =38; T0= 120; k=0.45; 1=) round(Is +(10- Ts)Fexp-k*))- eS ae ~ > _{ Round to the nearest integer. Sample Problem 1-4: Compounded interest ‘The balance B of a savings account after ¢ years when a principal P is invested at an annual interest rate r and the interest is compounded n times a year is given by: e=P{+t)" If the interest is compounded yearly, the balance is given by: B=PUtry In one account $5,000 is invested for 17 years in an account where the interest is compounded yearly. In a second account $5,000 is invested in an account in which the interest is compounded monthly. In both accounts the interest rate is 8.5%, Use MATLAB to determine how long (in years and months) it would take for the balance in the second account to be the same as the balance of the first account after 17 years. Solution Follow these steps: (@ Calculate B for $5,000 invested in a yearly compounded interest account after 17 years using Equation (2). ( Calculate the # for the B calculated in part (a) from the monthly compoundedChi interest formula, Equation (1). (c) Determine the number of years and months that correspond to S> P= 5000; += 0.085; ta= 17; n= 125 e (Lyte 5 Step (@): Calculate 8 from Ei g.(2). SB Be a < By 2.0011¢+004 2 4 piece naan >> t= log(B/P)(n*log( + rn) [Step (8): Solve Eq. (1) meee fort, and calculate t. | 16.3737 He : >> years = fix(t) ‘Step (c): Determine the number of years. years = : 16 : 5 : >> months = ceil((t-years)*"12) - (Determine the number of months] ‘months = : eae ee 5 ‘ se ee 1.9 PROBLEMS Solve the following problems in the Command Window. 1, Calculate: a sieT 4545" S764 3 : (9° -652) 2. Calculate: 2/3 55? a Qe hes bE B47 p «st +597 3. Calculate: 3710g(76) , 3/579 7 +546Define the variable x as x = 13.5, then evaluate: a) P+5x7-26.7x-52 b) 0 . Define the variables x and z as x=9.6, and z= 8.1, then evaluate: 2 5 » #8 yy Mr et 2x rz) Define the variables a,b, ¢, and das: a= 1562, b = -7.08, ¢ = 625 andd = 05(ab~c). Evaluate: ab(at+d)* ast 1 een edited o, BR » ae tGrbtetd Calculate (by writing one command) the radius r ofa sphere that has a volume of 350 in, Once r is determined, use it to calculate the surface area of the sphere,moh tert: Starting with MATLAB 9. Two trigonometric identities are given by: a) sin2x = 2sinxcosx 5) conf = fi Fase For each part, verify that the identity is correct by calculating each side of the equation, substituting x = Sn. 10. Two trigonometric identities are given by: 2tanx tan? 8) tan = [TF oss For each part, verify that the identity is correct ‘by calculating the values of the left and right sides of the equation, substituting x a) tan2x LL. Define two variables: alpha = Sn/9, beta = n/7. Using these variables, show that the following trigonometric identity is correct by calculating the value of the left and right sides of the equation. = 2sind (c+ B)sin dip - cosa. cos = 2sin}(a+ B)sing(B-at) 12. In the right triangle shown a= 11 cm, and c= 21 em. Define a and cas variables, and then: a) Using the Pythagorean Theorem, calculate b by ja typing one line in the Command Window. 4) Using 6 from part a), and the acos (x) func- 6 tion, calculate the angle 0. in degrees, typing one line in the Command Window. 13, In the triangle shown a = 18 cm, 6= 35 em, and ¢=50 om. Define a, b, and c as variables, and then calculate the angle 7 (in degrees) by sub- e stituting the variables in the Law of Cosines. (s (The Law of Cosines: c* = a’ +b* - 2abeos" Y a14. 15. 16. 17. 18. ‘The distance d from a point (x, yp) toa line Ax+By+C gn MiB | dae Determine the distance of the point (2,~3) from the line 3x+5y-6 = 0. First define the variables 4, B, C, xp, and yo, and then calculate d. (Use the abs and sqrt functions.) 0 is given by: Flowers are packed in boxes such that a dozen are placed in each box. Deter- rine how many boxes are needed to pack 751 flowers, using the cei func tion. Define the following variables: table_price chair_price ‘Then change the display format to bank and: a) Evaluate the cost of two tables and eight chairs. b) The same as part a), but add 5.5% sale tax. c) The same as part 6) but round the total cost to the nearest dollar. When adding fractions, the smallest common denominator must be deter- mined. For example, the smallest common denominator of 1/4 and 1/10 is 20. ‘Use the MATLAB Help Window to find a MATLAB built-in function that determines the least common multiplier of two numbers. Then use the func tion to show that the least common multiplier of: a) 4and 10 is 20. (b) 6 and 38 is 114. ‘The magnitude M of an earthquake on the Richter scale is given by: M= Foe, where E is the energy released by the earthquake, and 2 E, = 10“* Joules is a constant (energy of a small reference earthquake). Determine how many times more energy is released from an earthquake that registers 7.2 on the Richter scale than an earthquake that registers 5.3.