Introduction to Matlab
Matlab is a language for manipulating data in matrix form. One might think that such a basic objective would place great limits on what such matrix manipulations can do. However, since its conception, Matlab has become one of the best numerical 'rapid-prototyping' platforms available. To perform similar calculations in more fundamental computer languages such as C or Fortran would take much longer. Matlab is different from either of these languages in that Matlab is an interpreted language, ie. one does not compile a Matlab program. In this sense Matlab is quite similar to the old BASIC language. Matlab does not have quite as many commands as either C or Fortran and thus it is sometimes easier to program. It also incorporates fairly high-end graphics facilities such as contour, 3D surface plotting and animation.
To begin with however, Matlab may be difficult to master as the commands (like Unix) can be somehwat terse and uninformative. One may be forced to refer to the help pages or manuals quite often. The up-side is that with Matlab's matrix and vector mathematics, one can do very complicated numerical computations with very little programming. Matlab also comes with a step-by-step debugger, so you can step through your programs to check that everything is working ok.
There are many pages to look for on-line tutorials. Here are some of the best with the main MATLAB tutorial page at the end:
- The on-line version of the Matlab primer
- A on-line tutorial from Wales
- A large but basic on-line tutorial in the US
- Another basic on-line tutorial
- A big page with lots of other info and tutorials
- A free Matlab-like package for the PC
- The home Mathworks site with various tutorials
- The tutorial we will work from
I would suggest you first consult the Matlab Primer handout and on-line page. The big page with lots of info is good to roam around and see what you like. Finally, if you want to install a Matlab-like package on your PCs back home look at the last link and give it a try.
