What Is MATLAB?

MATLAB® is a high-performance language for technical computing. It integrates computation,

visualization, and programming in an easy-to-use environment where problems and solutions are
expressed in familiar mathematical notation.
MATLAB is an interactive system whose basic data element is an array that does not require
dimensioning. This allows you to solve many technical computing problems, especially those
with matrix and vector formulations, in a fraction of the time it would take to write a program in
a scalar noninteractive language such as C or Fortran.

Application
Typical uses include Math and computation Algorithm development Data acquisition Modeling,
simulation, and prototyping Data analysis, exploration, and visualization Scientific and
engineering graphics Application development, including graphical user interface building

• plot

Linear 2-D plot

Syntax
plot(Y)
plot(X1,Y1,...)
plot(X1,Y1,LineSpec,...)

Description

plot(Y) plots the columns of Y versus their index if Y is a real number. If Y is complex, plot(Y)
is equivalent to plot(real(Y),imag(Y)). In all other uses of plot, the imaginary component is
ignored.

plot(X1,Y1,...) plots all lines defined by Xn versus Yn pairs. If only Xn or Yn is a matrix, the
vector is plotted versus the rows or columns of the matrix, depending on whether the vector's
row or column dimension matches the matrix.

plot(X1,Y1,LineSpec,...) plots all lines defined by the Xn,Yn,LineSpec triples, where LineSpec
is a line specification that determines line type, marker symbol, and color of the plotted lines.
You can mix Xn,Yn,LineSpec triples with Xn,Yn pairs: plot(X1,Y1,X2,Y2,LineSpec,X3,Y3).

• subplot
Create axes object in tiled positions.subplot divides the current figure into rectangular panes that
are numbered rowwise. Each pane contains an axes object. Subsequent plots are output to the
current pane.

Syntax

subplot(m,n,p)
subplot(mnp)
subplot(m,n,p,'replace')
subplot(m,n,p,'align')

Description

h = subplot(m,n,p) or subplot(mnp) breaks the figure window into an m-by-n matrix of small
axes, selects the pth axes object for the current plot, and returns the axes handle. The axes are
counted along the top row of the figure window, then the second row, etc. For example,
subplot(2,1,1), plot(income)
subplot(2,1,2), plot(outgo)

plots income on the top half of the window and outgo on the bottom half. If the CurrentAxes is
nested in a uipanel, the panel is used as the parent for the subplot instead of the current figure.
The new axes object becomes the current axes.

If p is a vector, it specifies an axes object having a position that covers all the subplot positions
listed in p.

• title

Add title to current axes. Each axes graphics object can have one title. The title is located at the
top and in the center of the axes.

Syntax

title ('string')
title (fname)
title(...,'PropertyName',PropertyValue,...)
title(axes_handle,...)
h = title(...)

Description
title('string') outputs the string at the top and in the center of the current axes.

title(fname) evaluates the function that returns a string and displays the string at the top and in
the center of the current axes.

title(...,'PropertyName',PropertyValue,...) specifies property name and property value pairs for

the text graphics object that title creates. Do not use the 'String' text property to set the title
string; the content of the title should be given by the first argument.

title(axes_handle,...) adds the title to the specified axes.

h = title(...) returns the handle to the text object used as the title.

• Label the x-, y-axis

Each axes graphics object can have one label for the x-, y-, and z-axis. The label appears beneath
its respective axis in a two-dimensional plot and to the side or beneath the axis in a three-
dimensional plot.

Syntax

xlabel('string')
xlabel(fname)
xlabel(...,'PropertyName',PropertyValue,...)
xlabel(axes_handle,...)
h = xlabel(...)

ylabel(...)
ylabel(axes_handle,...)
h = ylabel(...)

Description

xlabel('string') labels the x-axis of the current axes.

xlabel(fname) evaluates the function fname, which must return a string, then displays the string
beside the x-axis.

xlabel(...,'PropertyName',PropertyValue,...) specifies property name and property value pairs for

the text graphics object created by xlabel.

xlabel(axes_handle,...), ylabel(axes_handle,...), and zlabel(axes_handle,...) plot into the axes with

handle axes_handle instead of the current axes (gca).

h = xlabel(...), h = ylabel(...), and h = zlabel(...) return the handle to the text object used as the
label.
ylabel(...) label the y-axis of the current axes.

• LineSpec

Line specification syntax

This page describes how to specify the properties of lines used for plotting. MATLAB enables
you to define many characteristics, including Line style Line width Color Marker type Marker
size Marker face and edge coloring (for filled markers)
MATLAB defines string specifiers for line styles, marker types, and colors.

• stem
Plot discrete sequence data.
A two-dimensional stem plot displays data as lines extending from a baseline along the x-axis. A
circle (the default) or other marker whose y-position represents the data value terminates each
stem

Syntax

stem(Y)
stem(X,Y)
stem(...,'fill')
stem(...,LineSpec)
stem(axes_handle,...)
h = stem(...)

Description

stem(Y) plots the data sequence Y as stems that extend from equally spaced and automatically
generated values along the x-axis. When Y is a matrix, stem plots all elements in a row against
the same x value.

stem(X,Y) plots X versus the columns of Y. X and Y must be vectors or matrices of the same
size. Additionally, X can be a row or a column vector and Y a matrix with length(X) rows.

stem(...,'fill') specifies whether to color the circle at the end of the stem.

stem(...,LineSpec) specifies the line style, marker symbol, and color for the stem and top marker
(the baseline is not affected). See LineSpec for more information.

stem(axes_handles,...) plots into the axes object with handle axes_handle instead of the current
axes object (gca).

h = stem(...) returns a vector of stemseries object handles in h, one handle per column of data in
Y.
matlab (Windows)

Start MATLAB (Windows systems)

Syntax

matlab helpOption
matlab modeOption
matlab mgrOption
matlab -automation
matlab -c licensefile
matlab -logfile filename
matlab -minimize
matlab -nosplash
matlab -noFigureWindows
matlab -r MATLAB_command
matlab -regserver
matlab -timing
matlab -unregserver

Note You can enter more than one of these options in the same MATLAB command.

Description

matlab is a starter program (currently a DOS batch script) that starts the main MATLAB
executable. (In this document, the term matlab refers to the starter program, and MATLAB refers
to the main executable). Before actually initiating the execution of MATLAB, it configures the
run-time environment by Determining the MATLAB root directory Determining the host
machine architecture Selectively processing command line options with the rest passed to
MATLAB. Setting certain MATLAB environment variables

There are two ways in which you can control the way the matlab starter program works: By
specifying command line options By presetting environment variables before calling the program

Specifying Options at the Command Line

Options that you can enter at the command line are as follows:
matlab helpOption displays information that matches the specified helpOption argument without
starting MATLAB. helpOption can be any one of the keywords shown in the table below. Enter
only one helpOption keyword in a matlab command.

The MATLAB System

The MATLAB system consists of five main parts:

Desktop Tools and Dvelopment Environment. This is the set of tools and facilities that help you
use MATLAB functions and files. Many of these tools are graphical user interfaces. It includes
the MATLAB desktop and Command Window, a command history, an editor and debugger, and
browsers for viewing help, the workspace, files, and the search path.

The MATLAB Mathematical Function Library. This is a vast collection of computational

algorithms ranging from elementary functions, like sum, sine, cosine, and complex arithmetic, to
more sophisticated functions like matrix inverse, matrix eigenvalues, Bessel functions, and fast
Fourier transforms.

The MATLAB Language. This is a high-level matrix/array language with control flow
statements, functions, data structures, input/output, and object-oriented programming features. It
allows both "programming in the small" to rapidly create quick and dirty throw-away programs,
and "programming in the large" to create large and complex application programs.

Graphics. MATLAB has extensive facilities for displaying vectors and matrices as graphs, as
well as annotating and printing these graphs. It includes high-level functions for two-dimensional
and three-dimensional data visualization, image processing, animation, and presentation
graphics. It also includes low-level functions that allow you to fully customize the appearance of
graphics as well as to build complete graphical user interfaces on your MATLAB applications.

The MATLAB External Interfaces/API. This is a library that allows you to write C and Fortran
programs that interact with MATLAB. It includes facilities for calling routines from MATLAB
(dynamic linking), calling MATLAB as a computational engine, and for reading and writing
MAT-files.