Desktop Basics

Enter statements at the command line and view results.

Matrices and Arrays

MATLAB^®operates primarily on arrays and matrices, both in whole and in part. A matrix is a two-dimensional array often used for linear algebra.

Array Indexing

Variables in MATLAB are typically arrays that can hold many numbers. When you want to access selected elements of an array, use indexing.

Workspace Variables

The workspace contains variables that you create within or import into MATLAB from data files or other programs.

Text and Characters

When you are working with text, enclose sequences of characters in single quotes.

Calling Functions

MATLAB provides a large number of functions that perform computational tasks. To call a function, enclose its input arguments in parentheses.

2-D and 3-D Plots

Graphics functions include 2-D and 3-D plotting functions to visualize data and communicate results.

Programming and Scripts

The simplest type of MATLAB program is called a script. A script contains a sequence of commands and function calls.

Help and Documentation

All functions have supporting documentation that includes examples and describes the function inputs, outputs, and calling syntax.