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WYK Scilab Talk

Scilab is a free mathematical software similar to Matlab. It can be used as a calculator to perform basic arithmetic and functions. Vectors and matrices can be created and manipulated using standard linear algebra operations. Systems of linear equations can be solved using inverse and backslash operators. Programming in Scilab allows defining custom functions to automate tasks like simulation and analysis of random processes. Basic examples were provided for coin tossing, dice throwing, and calculating Fibonacci numbers.

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107 views17 pages

WYK Scilab Talk

Scilab is a free mathematical software similar to Matlab. It can be used as a calculator to perform basic arithmetic and functions. Vectors and matrices can be created and manipulated using standard linear algebra operations. Systems of linear equations can be solved using inverse and backslash operators. Programming in Scilab allows defining custom functions to automate tasks like simulation and analysis of random processes. Basic examples were provided for coin tossing, dice throwing, and calculating Fibonacci numbers.

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bnataraj
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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An Introduction to Scilab

Tsing Nam Kiu


Department of Mathematics
The University of Hong Kong
2009 January 7
What is a Scilab?
Scilab is a mathematical software
Similar software: Matlab, Mathematica, Octave,
Euler Math Toolbox, Maxima,
What is special about Scilab: free, highly
supported, powerful, many users,
Home page of Scilab: www.scilab.org
A short introduction of Scilab:
http://hkumath.hku.hk~nkt/Scilab/IntroToScilab.html
Using Scilab as a calculator
+, , * (multiplication), / (division), ^ (power)
Examples:
> (12.34 + 0.03) / (2.8 1.2 * 3)
> 2^3 or 2*2*2
> 2^ 3
> 2^100
> ans^(1/100)
Using Scilab as a calculator (2)
Commonly used functions:
cos, sin, tan, acos, asin, atan, sqrt, exp, log, log10
Solving quadratic equation x^2 x+1=0:
> a = 1, b = 1, c = 1
> ( a + sqrt(b^2 4*a*c))/(2*a)
> ( a sqrt(b^2 4*a*c))/(2*a)
A smarter way to find roots of polynomials:
> p = poly([1 1 1],"x","coeff")
> roots(p)
Using Scilab as a calculator (3)
special constants: %i, %pi, %e
> tan(%pi / 4)
> %e ( = exp(1) )
> (1+%i)*(1--%i)
Learning how to use Scilab and getting help:
Click on ? on menu
> help command
See documentation on Scilab website
Vectors and matrices in Scilab
Data types: (real or complex) numbers, vectors,
matrices, polynomials, strings, functions,
Vectors in Scilab:
> x = [0 1 2 3]
> y = [2; 4; 6; 8]
> z = [1 2 3 4]
is conjugate transpose of a matrix
> 3*x, y+z, yz
> x+y, x+1
Vectors and matrices in Scilab (2)
Matrices in Scilab:
> A = [0 1 0 1; 2 3 4 0]
>B=A
> A * y, x * B, A * B, B * A, (B*A)^2
Special matrices (and vectors):
> ones(2,3), zeros(1,2), eye(3,3)
> rand, rand(3,2)
Empty vector or matrix: > a = [ ]
Building matrix by blocks:
> C = [A 2*A], x = [9 x 7], a = [a 1]
Solving linear equations
3 x1 + 2 x2 x3 = 1
x1 + x3 = 2
2 x1 2 x2 + x3 = 1
To solve the above system of linear equations:
> A = [3 2 1 ; 1 0 1; 2 2 1]
> b = [1 2 1]
> x = inv(A)*b (inv is inverse of a matrix)
>x=A\b
Important remark: theoretically it does not make
sense to divide something by a matrix!
The colon : operator
> 1:10, 1:100, xx = 1:100;
Using ; to suppress answer output
> sum(xx)
> 1:2:10, 3:3:11, 4:1:1, 2:1:0,
> t = 0: 0.1: 2*%pi
> y = sin(t)
> plot(t,y), plot(t,sin(t),t,cos(t))
Task 1: plot the straight lines
y = x +1 and y = exp(x) on the same graph, from
x = 2 to x = 2
Elements of vectors and matrices
Example
> v = rand(4,1)
> v(1), v(3), v([2 4]), v(4:-1:1), v($)
$ means the last entry
Example
> A = [1 2 3 4 5; 6 7 8 9 10]
> A(2,3), A(1,:), A(:, 2), A(:, [4 2])
Exercises
Task 2: simulate tossing of a coin:
0 = head, 1 = tail.
functions to use: rand, round,

Task 3: simulate tossing of 100 coins


Exercises (2)
Task 4: simulate throwing 3 dices, each dice has
outcome from 1 to 6 with equal probabilities;
functions to use: rand, floor, ceil,

Task 5 (challenging!): simulate tossing a coin 100


times and find the longest run of consecutive Hs
or Ts in the resulting sequence;
functions to use: diff, find, max,
Programming in Scilab
Click on menu bar to open Scipad; then write your
scilab function file.
Format of a function:
function [out1, out2, ...] = name(in1, in2, ...)
(body of function definition; may have many lines)
endfunction
One file may contain more than one function.
To use the functions, you must load the function
file by choosing File -> Execute the file from the
menu.
Programming in Scilab (2)
A simple function to find the n-th term of the
Fibonnaci sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,
function k = fibo(n)
if n == 1, k = 0;
elseif n==2, k = 1;
else k = fibo(n-1) + fibo(n-2);
end
endfunction
Save the file as fibo.sci (or any other file name).
Execute it from Scilab menu bar
Try, say: > fibo(5), fibo(2), fibo(10), fibo(100)
Programming in Scilab (3)
An improved programme:
function K = fibonacci(n)
//function K = fibonacci(n)
//Gives the n-th term of the Fibonacci sequence ,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,...
if n==1, K = 0;
elseif n==2, K = 1;
elseif n>2 & int(n)==n
// check if n is an integer greater than 2
K = fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2);
else disp('error! -- input is not a positive integer');
end
endfunction
Programming in Scilab (4)
Programming Task (challenging!): write a
programme to automate Task 5, which is to
perform the following experiment m times. The
experiment is to simulate tossing a coin n times
and find the longest run (k) of consecutive Hs or
Ts in the resulting sequence.
For each time you do the experiment, youll get a
number k. Therefore you should get m numbers
k1, k2, , km at the end.
Inputs of the function are m, n; output is a vector
k = [ k1 k2 km].
Recap
We have discussed and learned the following:
What Scilab is

Basic usage of Scilab (as a calculator)

Vectors and Matrices in Scilab

Solving linear equations

Simulation of some random events

Basic Scilab programming

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