MATLAB

MATLAB (Matrix Laboratory) is a proprietary multi-paradigm programming language and numeric computing environment developed by MathWorks. It helps people work with numbers, especially groups of numbers called matrices. MATLAB makes it easy to create graphs and solve problems.

One great thing about MATLAB is that it can work with symbols. This is thanks to a toolbox that uses the MuPAD symbolic engine. This lets users do more advanced math, like solving equations. There is also a package called Simulink that helps users build models to see how things change over time. This is useful for designing machines and systems.

As of 2020^[update], MATLAB has more than four million users worldwide. It is used in many colleges and universities to help teach and do research. Whether you are studying engineering, science, or economics, MATLAB can be a powerful tool to help understand complex ideas and solve real-world problems.

History

MATLAB was invented by mathematician and computer programmer Cleve Moler. His idea for MATLAB came from his 1960s PhD thesis. Moler started creating MATLAB for his students when he was a math teacher at the University of New Mexico. The first version of MATLAB was finished in the late 1970s and was shared with everyone in 1979 at the Naval Postgraduate School in California. Early versions were simple tools for working with numbers and matrices.

In 1984, MATLAB became a product that people could buy, and MathWorks, Inc. was started to keep making it better. Over time, MATLAB got new features and tools added by experts. By 2016, MATLAB had many improvements to help users work more easily.

Release history

You can see all the updates and changes to MATLAB and its tools. This helps people know what new features and improvements came with each version.

Syntax

The MATLAB application uses the MATLAB programming language. You can use the Command Window to run math commands or write code in text files.

MATLAB makes it easy to work with numbers and data. You can create variables without needing to say what type of information they will hold first. For example, you can set a variable x to hold the number 17, or even change it to hold a word like "hat".

MATLAB works well with arrays and matrices. You can create an array like 1:2:9, which gives you the numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Matrices can be made by putting numbers in rows and columns, and you can easily pick out single numbers or groups of numbers from them.

Graphics and graphical user interface programming

MATLAB makes it easy to create graphs and pictures from data. For example, you can use a simple command to draw a smooth wave called a sine function. MATLAB can also make 3D pictures to show more complex data.

MATLAB helps people build special windows on a computer screen called graphical user interfaces, or GUIs. These can be made by writing code or by using special tools that let you design them visually.

[X,Y] = meshgrid(-10:0.25:10,-10:0.25:10); f = sinc(sqrt((X/pi).^2+(Y/pi).^2)); mesh(X,Y,f); axis([-10 10 -10 10 -0.3 1]) xlabel('{\bfx}') ylabel('{\bfy}') zlabel('{\bfsinc} ({\bfR})') hidden off	[X,Y] = meshgrid(-10:0.25:10,-10:0.25:10); f = sinc(sqrt((X/pi).^2+(Y/pi).^2)); surf(X,Y,f); axis([-10 10 -10 10 -0.3 1]) xlabel('{\bfx}') ylabel('{\bfy}') zlabel('{\bfsinc} ({\bfR})')
This code produces a wireframe 3D plot of the two-dimensional unnormalized sinc function:	This code produces a surface 3D plot of the two-dimensional unnormalized sinc function:

MATLAB and other languages

MATLAB can work with functions and programs written in other languages like C or Fortran. It creates special files called MEX files to help share data between MATLAB and these languages. MATLAB also supports connecting with Python, Perl, Java, ActiveX, and .NET.

You can use MATLAB with tools like Maple or Mathematica for more advanced math tasks. MATLAB also has ways to bring in and send out data using MathML.

Relations to US sanctions

In 2020, MATLAB stopped working with two universities in China because of rules from the United States. The universities decided to use more open-source tools and make their own alternatives.