3/4/2022

MATLAB BASICS

Dr. Emile M. Al-Mayah

Biochemical Engineering Department
Al-Khwarizmi College of Engineering
University of Baghdad

OBJECTIVES :
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

 Understand the following topics:

• Basic Ideas:
– MATLAB Desktop manipulation
– Basic Commands
– Matrix Operations
– Format
– Using Help
– Save
• Using MATLAB Functions:
– Quick function guide
– Trigonometric functions
– Logical Operations
• Plotting with MATLAB:
– Optimization Problem
– Help Plot
– Importing

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BASIC IDEAS

MATLAB R2010b Menu Bar

• Contains the commands you can use to perform certain tasks

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Current Directory
• Shows the active directory.

Command Window
• This is where the variables, and MATLAB commands are entered

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Workspace
• Creates, imports, displays the name, value, min, and max size of the variables.

Command History Window

• Shows the time/date at which commands were issued.

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Window Manipulation 1/8

• Can customize the desktop layout on the local machine. Here is the default layout:

Window Manipulation 2/8

• First on the menu bar: Help>Product help. A window should shift from the left to
the right

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Window Manipulation 4/8

• Press with the left mouse button and hold on the workspace blue bar
• Drag the workspace window from right to left until the outline matches the picture
below
• Release the mouse button

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Window Manipulation 5/8

• The workspace window is now “tabbed” with the working directory window on
the left side of the desktop.

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Window Manipulation 6/8

• Drag the Command history window on the right side of the screen to the left
bottom side until it matches the outline in the picture below.

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Window Manipulation 7/8

• The desktop layout should now be something like this:

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Window Manipulation 8/8

• Now save the layout of desktop:
– In the menu bar: Desktop>Save Layout...>Type: “practicum default”>press OK

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BASIC COMMANDS

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Basic Commands 1/6

• x=5
– Press the enter button to enter a variable, or command
• y=2;
• x+y
• 2*x+3*x/y
• z=3*y^2

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Basic Commands 2/6

• To review the value of the variables recently entered look at the “Workspace
window:
– Shows the name of the variable
– Value of the variable
– Min and max values

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Basic Commands 3/6

• Use up arrow commands to re-enter a previous command, in reverse sequence
– Press the up arrow key once, look at the command window, and press enter

– Press the up arrow key 5 times, then press the down arrow key twice, then
press enter:
• After the 5 times using the arrow key, it shows the x variable
• Then the down arrow key sequence moves down to show the x+y variable

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Basic Commands 4/6

• Instead of using the arrow keys, use the Command History window:
– Inside the Command History window, single “left click”: “2*x+3*x/y”

– “Right click” the highlighted command and select “Copy”:

– Click anywhere inside the “Command Window” and right click next to “>>”
– Press “Paste button”, the command is now entered into the command window,
now press enter button on the keyboard.

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Basic Commands 5/6

• Enter in the “clc” command:
– Clears the contents of the command window, but does not erase variables that
are not in the current memory
– Commands in MATLAB is case sensitive
• Enter “clear x”:
– Clears the x-variable, and only that variable in the workspace
• Enter “clear all”:
– Clears all of the variables in the workspace

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Basic Commands 6/6

• Generate a range of values:
– Type “x=0:0.25:100”
• This generates an array from 0 to 100, in increments of 0.25
• array= Start value: Increment: End value
– Type “x=0:100”
• This generates an array from 0 to 100, in increments of 1
• array=Start value: End value
– Default increment is 1 if it is not specified
– Type “countdown=5:-1:0”
• This generates an array with decreasing value, dependent on the increment.
• Array=Maximum value (Start value): decrease increment: minimum value

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SOLVING PROBLEM IN MATLAB

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Problem Solving in Engineering

1. State the problem

2. Describe the input and output
3. Develop an algorithm
4. Solve the problem
5. Test the solution

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Example 1.1

Albert Einstein

E=mc2

The sun is fueled by the conversion of matter

to energy

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State the Problem

 Find the amount of matter necessary to

produce the amount of energy radiated
by the sun everyday

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Describe the Input and Output

 Input
 E=mc2

 Rate of energy radiation

 -E= 385*1024 Joules/second

 Speed of light

 -c=3.0*108 meters/second

 Output
 Mass (m) in kilograms

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Developing an Algorithm-Hand
Example

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Developing an Algorithm-Hand
Example

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Solve the Problem

• Here is below
MATLAB solution

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Test your Solution

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Test your Solution

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