SIGNAL AND SYSTEMS LABORATORY

2nd Class
University of Ninevah
SIGNALS AND SYSTEMSLABORATORY
Collage :Electronics Engineering

Dept: Systems and Control

Experiment [1]
Introduction to MATLAB

Introduction:
In this introduction we will describe how MATLAB handles simple numerical
expressions and mathematical formulas. MATLAB is a high-performance language for
technical computing. It integrates computation, visualization, and programming
environment. Furthermore, MATLAB is a modern programming language environment:
it has sophisticated data structures, contains built-in editing and debugging tools, and
supports object-oriented programming. These factors make MATLAB an excellent tool
for teaching and research. MATLAB has many advantages compared to conventional
computer languages (examples: C and FORTRAN) for solving technical problems.
MATLAB is an interactive system whose basic data element is an array that does not
require dimensioning. The software package has been commercially available since 1984
and is now considered as a standard tool at most universities and industries
worldwide.The name MATLAB stands for matrix laboratory. It has evolved over a
period of years with input from many users. In university environments, it is the standard
instructional tool for introductory and advanced courses in mathematics, engineering, and
science. In industry, MATLAB is the tool of choice for high-productivity research,
development, and analysis. MATLAB features a family of add-on application-specific
solutions called toolboxes. There are toolboxes for signal processing, control systems,
symbolic computations, simulation, optimization and many other fields of applied
science and engineering.
Starting and quitting MATLAB
You can enter MATLAB by double-clicking on the MATLAB shortcut icon on the
desktop. This will open the MATLAB window which contains the following other
windows:
1- The command window
2- The command history
3- The current directory
4- The workspace
5- The help browser
6- The start bottom

1
 SIGNAL AND SYSTEMS LABORATORY
To end your MATLAB session, select File -> Exit MATLAB in the main menu, or type
quit in the Command Window.

1- Command Window
Use the Command Window to enter variables and to run functions and M-file
scripts.Press the up arrow key to recall a statement you previously typed. Edit the
statement as needed and then press Enter to run it.
2- Command History
Statements you enter in the Command Window are logged in the Command History.
From the Command History, you can view previously run statements, as well as copy and
execute selected statements. You can also create an M-file from selected statements.
3- Current Directory
A quick way to view or change the current directory is by using the current directory
field in the desktop toolbar.To search for, view, open, and make changes to MATLAB
related directories and files, use the MATLAB Current Directory browser. Alternatively,
you can use the functions dir, cd, and delete.
4- Workspace Browser and Array Editor
Any variable that is defined in the command window or in an M-file after execution is
added to the workspace.
2
 SIGNAL AND SYSTEMS LABORATORY

row = [1 2 5.4 -6.6]

5- Help Browser
Use the Help browser to search for and view documentation and demos for all your math
works products. The help browser is an HTML viewer integrated into the MATLAB
desktop. You have different ways to look for something in the MATLAB help:
1- Click on the (help) in MATLAB window.
2- Press F1.
3- Type (help) in the command window.
4- From an m-file, select an instruction, right click on it and then select (help on
selection).

help
The most important function for learning MATLAB on your own
•To get info on how to use a function:
»help sin
Help lists related functions at the bottom and links tothe doc.
•To get a nicer version of help with examples and easy-to-read descriptions:
»doc sin
•To search for a function by specifying keywords:
»doc + Search tab

Getting started with simple arithmetic in MATLAB

As an example of a simple interactive calculation, just write the expression you want to
evaluate. Let’s start at the verybeginning. For example, to evaluate the
expression:(1+2*3)we type it at the command window:
>> 1+2*3
ans=
7
You will notice that if you don’t specify an output variable, MATLAB uses the default
variable that called(ans), short for answer, to store the results of the current calculation.
Note that the variable ans is created (or overwritten, if it is already existed). To avoid
that, you may assign a value to a specified variable. For example,

3
 SIGNAL AND SYSTEMS LABORATORY
>>x= 1+2*3
x=
7
Now x is a known variable and can be used in other expressions, for example, we can
compute (4x) as follows:

>> 4*x
ans=
28.0000

Creating MATLAB Variables

MATLAB variables are created with an assignment statement. The syntax of variable
assignment is:
Variable name = value (or expression)
Example:
>> x=expression;
Where the expression is a combination of numerical values, mathematical operators,
variables and function calls. On other words, expression can involve:
 manual entry
 built-in functions
 user defined functions
4.2 Displaying no Result
If you don’t wish to see the value of an intermediate expression, you can end this
expressionwith a semicolon (;) as shown:
>>t=5*12;
>>
4.3 Error messages
If we enter an expression incorrectly, MATLAB will return a rederror message. For
example, in the following, we leftout the multiplication sign (*) in the following
expression:
>>x= 10;
>>6x
??? 6x
|
Error: Missing MATLAB operator.

4
 SIGNAL AND SYSTEMS LABORATORY

Controlling the hierarchy of operations or precedence

If we have two expressions, each of them has the same numbers and mathematical
operations, but one of them contains parenthesis as follows:
>>(1+2)*3
ans =
9
>> 1+2*3
ans =
7

By adding parentheses, these two expressions give different results: 9 and 7.The order in
which MATLAB performs arithmetic operations is exactly as that taught in high school
algebra courses. Exponentiations are donefirst, followed by multiplications and divisions,
and finally by additions and subtractions. However, this order can be changed by
inserting parentheses. For example, the result of 1+2*3 is quite different than the same
expression with parentheses (1+2) *3 . Parentheses can always be used to overrule
priority, and their use is recommended in some complex expressions to avoid ambiguity.