Practical 1: Introduction to MATLAB

MATLAB is a powerful mathematical software package used by both engineers and mathematicians in the workplace. The name stands for MATrix LABoratory. Originally designed for manipulating matrices, MATLAB is great for many different mathematical tasks.

Some good reasons for learning MATLAB include:

• It will allow you to check your assignment/homework calculations
• You will gain a better insight into mathematical functions through complex graphing that can’t easily be done by hand
• You can quickly find solutions to problems that take a long time by hand (like finding the determinant of a 5x5 matrix)
• Later, you will be able to find approximate numerical solutions to problems that can’t be solved by hand (like complicated integrals).

Watch this video on opening MATLAB within the OUA virtual desktop and learn about the MATLAB Desktop Layout.