MATLAB Fundamentals Training Course

Part 1

A Brief Introduction to MATLAB

Goal: Provide an overview of the capabilities, components, and utility of MATLAB

• Example Comparison: C versus MATLAB
• Overview of the MATLAB Product
• Fields of MATLAB Application
• How can MATLAB benefit your work?
• Course Structure

Interacting with the MATLAB User Interface

Goal: Introduce the primary features of the MATLAB integrated design environment and its various interfaces. Provide an overview of the course themes.

• The MATLAB Interface
• Reading data from files
• Saving and loading variables
• Data plotting
• Customizing plot elements
• Computing statistics and best-fit lines
• Exporting graphics for use in other applications

Variables and Expressions

Goal: Input MATLAB commands, focusing on the creation and access of data within variables.

• Inputting commands
• Variable creation
• Accessing help resources
• Retrieving and modifying variable values
• Creating character variables

Analysis and Visualization using Vectors

Goal: Execute mathematical and statistical calculations on vectors and generate basic visualizations. Demonstrate how MATLAB syntax allows for calculations across entire datasets using a single command.

• Vector calculations
• Plotting vectors
• Basic plotting options
• Annotating plots

Analysis and Visualization using Matrices

Goal: Utilize matrices as mathematical entities or as repositories for (vector) data. Clarify the correct application of MATLAB syntax to distinguish between these use cases.

• Dimensions and size
• Matrix calculations
• Statistics on matrix data
• Plotting multiple columns
• Reshaping data and linear indexing
• Multidimensional arrays

Part 2

Automating Commands with Scripts

Goal: Consolidate MATLAB commands into scripts to facilitate reproducibility and experimentation. As task complexity grows, manually entering long command sequences in the Command Window becomes inefficient.

• A Modelling Case Study
• The Command History
• Creating script files
• Executing scripts
• Comments and Code Cells
• Publishing scripts

Processing Data Files

Goal: Import data from formatted files into MATLAB. Given the diversity of imported data types and formats, significant attention is paid to handling cell arrays and date formats.

• Data import
• Mixed data types
• Cell arrays
• Conversion between numerals, strings, and cells
• Data export

Multiple Vector Plots

Goal: Create more complex vector plots, including multiple subplots, and utilize color and string manipulation techniques to generate compelling visual data representations.

• Graphics structure
• Multiple figures, axes, and plots
• Plotting equations
• Utilizing color
• Plot customization

Logic and Flow Control

Goal: Employ logical operations, variables, and indexing techniques to build flexible code capable of making decisions and adapting to varying conditions. Investigate additional programming constructs for code repetition and user interaction.

• Logical operations and variables
• Logical indexing
• Programming structures
• Flow control
• Loops

Matrix and Image Visualization

Goal: Visualize images and matrix data in two or three dimensions. Examine the distinctions between displaying images and visualizing matrix data using image techniques.

• Scattered Interpolation using vector and matrix data
• 3-D matrix visualization
• 2-D matrix visualization
• Indexed images and colormaps
• True color images

Part 3

Data Analysis

Goal: Execute standard data analysis tasks in MATLAB, such as developing and fitting theoretical models to empirical data. This naturally leads to one of MATLAB's most potent features: solving linear systems of equations with a single command.

• Handling missing data
• Correlation analysis
• Smoothing techniques
• Spectral analysis and FFTs
• Solving linear systems of equations

Writing Functions

Goal: Enhance automation by encapsulating modular tasks into user-defined functions. Gain an understanding of how MATLAB resolves file and variable references.

• The rationale for functions
• Creating functions
• Adding documentation comments
• Calling subfunctions
• Workspaces
• Subfunctions
• Path and precedence

Data Types

Goal: Examine various data types, with a focus on the syntax for variable creation and array element access, as well as methods for type conversion. Data types vary in the data they can hold and how that data is structured.

• MATLAB data types
• Integers
• Structures
• Type conversion

File I/O

Goal: Investigate MATLAB's low-level data import and export functions that offer precise control over text and binary file operations. This includes functions like textscan, which enables fine-grained control over text file reading.

• Opening and closing files
• Reading and writing text files
• Reading and writing binary files

Please note that the actual delivered content may differ slightly from the outline above without prior notice.

Conclusion

Please note that the actual delivered content may differ slightly from the outline above without prior notice.

Objectives: Recap the key learnings from the course

• Course summary
• Information on upcoming MATLAB courses

Please note that the course content may be subject to minor adjustments during delivery without prior notification.