November 18

Matlab
vs. TK
solver 2017
This report compares two highly used software in the engineering field
that produces readable information and data efficiently Usability Test
Table of Contents
Intro............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Methodology................................................................................................................................................. 5
Tasks:......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Evaluation scale: ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Likert scale: ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Test environment:..................................................................................................................................... 8
Results, TK solver .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Task 1: Using Built in Functions ................................................................................................................ 9
Task 2: Plotting using a table .................................................................................................................. 10
Task 3: 3-d Plotting ................................................................................................................................. 12
Task 4: Back solving................................................................................................................................. 12
Task 5: Multiplying matrices or arrays .................................................................................................... 13
Task 6: Integration example.................................................................................................................... 15
Task 7: Derivative of an equation ........................................................................................................... 15
Task 8: Managing units and conversions ................................................................................................ 16
Task 9: quadratic equation plot .............................................................................................................. 18
Task 10: solve higher order equation and plot ....................................................................................... 19
Results, Matlab ........................................................................................................................................... 20
Task 1: built in functions ......................................................................................................................... 20
Task 2: plotting using a table .................................................................................................................. 21
Task 3: 3d- plotting ................................................................................................................................. 21
Task 4: Back solving................................................................................................................................. 22
Task 5: Multiplying matrices ................................................................................................................... 23
Task 6: integration example .................................................................................................................... 23
Task 7: differential equation ................................................................................................................... 24
Task 8: managing units and conversion .................................................................................................. 24
Task 9: Solve quadratic equation and plot.............................................................................................. 25
Task 10: Solve higher order equation and plot ....................................................................................... 26
Recommendations/Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 27
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 28
Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 29
Intro
In University of Idaho's engineering program, the need for fast computing software that
also presents easy to read graphics is a necessity. This white paper compares the two products,
TK and Matlab, and how they perform on ten specific tasks aimed to measure usability.
Methodology
Tasks:
1.) Built in functions
2.) 2-d plot (with title, legend , x axis and y axis labels)
3.) 3-d plot (with title, legend , x axis and y axis labels)
4.) Back solving
5.) Multiplying matrices or arrays
6.) Integration example
7.) Differential equation
8.) Managing units and conversions
9.) Solve quadratic equation and plot x2 -7x +12 = 0.
10.) Solve higher order equation and plot (x-3)2(x-7) = 0
Evaluation scale:
These tasks are evaluated on five components of usability; effectiveness, efficient,
engaging, error tolerant, easy to learn. After each tasks, I would score each component of
usability on a scale from 1 to 5 based on the statements below and how well they matched up
to each statement.

Effective: I was able to

complete the task without
getting help from other
resources
Efficient: I conducted the
task within a reasonable
time based on the amount of
work.
Engaging: I was engaged the
entire time when completing
the task without any
distractions

Error tolerant: I completed

the task in the first try with
minimal errors or problems
when solving. This product
helped me recover when
there was an error.
This task was easy to
complete, learn and
increased my knowledge
about this product
Likert scale:
Task

Description
Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was 1
able to complete
the task without
getting help from
other resources
2 Efficient: I 2
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was 3
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I 4
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was 5
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
Test environment:
This test was performed at home and at the library inside a relatively quiet room
without any distractions and free from any other participants. In order to keep the test
consistent I used a windows PC. TK solver version 5.0 and Matlab 9.2 was used on the
University of Idahos computers.

I also used University of Idahos Vlab website to perform the tests. This website uses a
client server to run the programs Matlab and TK solver from any computer on or off campus.
Results, TK solver
Task 1: Using Built in Functions

Using the built in function on TK solver is easy if you know the functions name. You can also look up the
function in the help menu. I found this relatively easy to use because of the tool library feature TK solver
has built in. You don't have to read through a manual or know a bunch of coding before using this
software.

This shows the function reference page you can get help from finding different functions
Task 2: Plotting using a table

Creating a list first helps when creating a plot.

This shows how to create a table of values

After creating the list, its easy to create a line chart by double clicking the plot in the menu. We need to
include the y variable and x list we created before in the parameters. This step was kind of difficult if you
have no idea what you are doing and are using TK solver for the first time. But, its ability to plot any
equation you enter in a few steps is remarkable.

This is the result from the list when we plot y vs x. Total time took no longer than 10 minutes to
complete the entire plot. The overall display is really not presentable in my opinion compared to matlab,
but it does its job in showing different plots in relatively few steps.
 Task 3: 3-d Plotting

This is creating a 3 variable equation where z changes with x and y. In this case, you could plot this in 3
dimensional space. Unfortunately, TK solver is limited to 2-d plots which is a huge pitfall.

In order to plot this equation on TK solver, you need to use both variables against one axis which is hard
to visualize what the equation is doing without looking at it in 3d. This is where TK solver falls short of
matlab, even though TK solver is great at back-solving equations.

Task 4: Back solving

For this task, TK solver's ability to back solve just about any equation you throw at it is remarkable. This
is one feature I use currently as an engineering student all the time. And this is why I put this task on
here to demonstrate just how easy it is to use without much fuss from TK solver. You basically have this
nasty equation above, and by simply inputting the amount of cycles (Nf) you want to have in the part
(this equation is how long of a period or cycles, Nf, a part can have until it deforms over a certain stress.
(ea , or strain).

So for this example above, all I changed was an input of 20,000 cycles (Nf) and Tk solved the strain to be
.003. By changing these numbers around you can see how easy it is to manipulate the equation instead
of doing the math by hand.

Task 5: Multiplying matrices or arrays

 So instead of matrices, TK solver uses things called lists. This is a feature where you can either manually
enter in a list of numbers for a variable, or use the list fill option in TK. This generates a list automatically
in any range of values into that specific variable. This makes plotting very easy and also has the ability to
make a huge list of different values where you can organize in a table.

In conclusion, this feature in TK solver is different than matlab because it doesn't have the ability to
simply multiply matrices but it uses lists instead to organize a set of numbers into a variable. You can
 think of the matrix as the list of elements in TK solver because you are able to put in either specific
values or fill that list with numbers on a range of set values.

Task 6: Integration example

TK is able to easily integrate any equation that is entered into the rule sheet. As you can see in the
example above, TK integrates the equation y from xmin to xmax. This process takes less than a minute
to enter all the equations and solve. Instead of doing by hand which would be vary lengthy and time
consuming.

Task 7: Derivative of an equation

This example I took this equation in the rule sheet and will look to get the slope at various points along
the curve. In TK solver, you have to specify the function first in order to get the derivative of the
equation. This process took about 15 minutes to set-up which isn't long for the amount of information
you get out of the result.
After plotting this curve, we are able to now differentiate at all the points along the curve with the next
function. Getting to this point took only a few steps in order to make the list of points for x and y.

As you can see, after only a few more steps I could plot the slope of this equation, which is the
derivative, onto the actual equation itself. I had to call the function "diff13", create a function "bounce"
which is just the equation itself with the parameters "a" and "b" so TK solver knows they are just
constants and hit solve. This took about 10 minutes, and was not painful at all but someone without
knowledge of TK solver could run into some trouble if they didn't know how to set up a function.

Task 8: Managing units and conversions

The best thing about TK solver is definitely the unit system where you can convert easily to a from
different systems.
Conclusion: Being able to quickly change and input units into TK solver took only minutes to perform,
but could be potentially lengthy if you have a lot of variables. But, the neat feature about TK solver is the
Library of units integrated into the software. This allows quick conversions from one unit to the other.

Task 9: quadratic equation plot

Plotting in Tk solver is quite easy, and this example only took a couple minutes to complete once you
created a list for each variable. This process presents a neat and organized way to plot different
equations relatively easy and fast.
Task 10: solve higher order equation and plot

This procedure required quite a bit more steps to create a plot of the equation vs Matlab because you
have to create a list for x and y.

You also have to specify each y axis input and x axis list in the new plot area. Although this didn't take
too much time, it took longer than Matlab's process of plotting this equation.
In the end, TK solver's ability to plot functions is quite impressive once you get a feel for the program.
The time it takes to plot each function is not too long, but Matlab does have some more features that it
offers than TK.

Results, Matlab
Task 1: built in functions

Matlab has very easy to use built in functions ready to go. Just by typing in help (function) you can get
instant access to a complete list of functions you can use.
Task 2: plotting using a table

Matlab contains a very neat feature where you can plot simply by using only a couple lines of code. This
also is a lot more user friendly in that it show a figure for the plot where you can edit things like the title,
labels and color of lines. This process only took a couple minutes to type in the code.

Task 3: 3d- plotting

The best feature of matlab is being able to 3d plot and visualize what is actually going on with the
equation.

Task 4: Back solving

Matlab is capable of back solving an equation for a variable. This process took quite long to figure out
because there is no specific tutorial available but you have to find the right function for the process you
want. After you find this function though it becomes quite easy to manipulate numbers around to
different outcomes of Nf, or cycles until fracture of the material.
Task 5: Multiplying matrices

Multiplying matrices and arrays is quite easy in matlab because all you have to do is specify each
variable and make sure the size of the matrix is compatible with each other. Of course, one step you
have to perform is including the dot in front of each operation you want to perform because this signals
matlab that you want to mutiply each variable in the matrix.

Task 6: integration example

Integrating the equation in this example took some more time because of the method is a bit different
than simply just typing in integral(function). You have to specify what the function is, xmin, xmax and
be sure to use the correct procedure.

Task 7: differential equation

After only 3 lines of code, I was able to differentiate this function. This is a very great feature compared
to the long coding of TK solver.

Task 8: managing units and conversion

Being able to use units with matlab helps out if you are performing unit analysis. Although matlab is a
little clunky when it comes to this, it is able to perform quite well with units associated with a variable.
Matlab also does not simplify when it comes to adding the same unit of different magnitude, but this
allows you to keep track of separate variables. In order to combine like units, matlab has a neat feature
where you can call out the function simplify.

Task 9: Solve quadratic equation and plot x2 -7x +12 = 0.

Matlab is very user friendly when it comes to graphing, just as an example showing this quadratic
equation. The only steps you have to perform here is creating a list of numbers for x and then using the
plot function. One way Matlab could make this even easier is to automatically create a list of x values
once you use the plot function, but right now it doesn't take any time at all to do it manually.
Task 10: Solve higher order equation and plot (x-3)2(x-7) = 0

As you can see, it is really easy to plot any higher order equation and read values from the graph. This
makes matlab such a user friendly software and has the ability to solve very complex equations.
Recommendations/Conclusion

Tk solver is really engaging, but Matlab has won overall in effectiveness, efficiency, error
tolerant and increased knowledge of the product and learning capability. Both products have their
special tributes depending on the problem you are trying to solve. It would be nice to have more user
friendly options with TK solver that includes 3d plotting. Matlab also needs to include more unit friendly
options because it is very difficult to incorporate units without having to look up on how to do it
manually.

50

45

40

35

30

25 TK
Matlab
20

15

10

0
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 Category 5

Category 1: effectiveness

Category 2: efficiency
Category 3: engaging

Category 4: error tolerant

Category 5: increased knowledge of the product, easy to learn

Conclusion: Tk solver is really engaging, but Matlab has won overall in effectiveness, efficiency, error
tolerant and increased knowledge of the product and learning capability. Both products have their
special tributes depending on the problem you are trying to solve.
Bibliography

https://www.uts.com/ResourceCenter/ProductLiterature/ProductBrochure_TKSolver5SolutionOptimizer
.pdf

(resource file for TK solver)

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/

(matlab documentation)
Appendix
This section contains the raw data of the forms used to rate each product on a scale from 1 to 5.
Each form was completed for every task for both products.
 Task 1

Description
Built in functions. Use the software's built in function system to solve

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 2
Task
Description
Plotting using a table

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 3
Task
Description
3d plotting

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was 1 x
able to complete x
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 4
Task
Description
Back solving an equation

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 5
Task
Description Multiplying matrices and arrays

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 6
Task
Description Integration example

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 7
Task
Description Derivative of an equation

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 8
Task
Description Managing units and conversions

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 9
Task
Description Solving quadratic equations

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 10
Task
Description Solving higher order equations

Product TK Matlab
strongly disagree strongly agree strongly disagree strongly agree

Question 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Effective: I was x 1 x
able to complete
the task without
getting help
from other
resources
2 Efficient: I x 2 x
conducted the
task within a
reasonable time
based on the
amount of work.
3 Engaging: I was x 3 x
engaged the
entire time when
completing the
task without any
distractions
4 Error tolerant: I x 4 x
completed the
task in the first
try with minimal
errors or
problems when
solving. This
product helped
me recover
when there was
an error.
5 This task was x 5 x
easy to
complete, learn
and increased
my knowledge
about this
product
 TK Matlab
Category
1 37 39
Category
2 41 45
Category
3 47 41
Category
4 38 40
Category
5 36 39

This table shows the values from the above data sheets added together in categories 1 to 5. Each
category corresponds to the usability of the product; effectiveness, efficiency, engaging, error tolerant
and increased knowledge of the product.