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Using MATLAB

Introduction
Getting Started
More Information

Introduction

MATLAB is a matrix laboratory, providing high-performance numeric computation and data visualization with an emphasis on standard matrix manipulations. MATLAB is designed for ease of use, and its operations and commands resemble the mathematical notation commonly used with matrices.

MATLAB 6 is available on ARSC's Linux access workstations and on our IBM system, iceberg. There are two commercial licenses and five educational licenses available. The two commercial licenses are available to all ARSC users, the educational licenses are only availble to faculty, staff or students that will use matlab strictly for classwork. Contact User Support to be added to the educational license group.

The following toolboxes are available on ARSC's Linux access workstations with one commercial license each:

Fuzzy Logic Toolbox
Image Processing Toolbox
Mapping Toolbox
Neural Network Toolbox
Signal Processing Toolbox

The following toolbox is available on ARSC's Linux access workstations with one educational license:

Control System Toolbox

Simulink is available on ARSC's Linux access workstations with one educational license. Simulink is run from inside matlab.

To use MATLAB you must first have an account. Once you have logged in, and before beginning MATLAB, you may wish to create a directory for holding your MATLAB files. The following example shows how to create in your home directory a subdirectory named 'matlab' (or whatever):

       host> mkdir ~/matlab
       host> cd ~/matlab

Getting Started

Invoke MATLAB with:

       host> matlab

After a few moments, the appearance of the MATLAB prompt '>>' indicates that MATLAB is ready and awaiting your commands. You could enter your commands one at a time, as in the following example:

       >> A = [1 2 3; 4 5 6]
       >> B = [7 8; 9 10; 11 12]
       >> C = A*B

or alternatively, you could write these commands to a file, named as you please, but ending with '.m', then give the filename at the MATLAB prompt. If you created a file named matmult.m, for example, with the same commands as given above, then entering:

       >> matmult

would cause MATLAB to read and execute those same commands with the same result: storing in matrix C the product of matrices A and B, and displaying the contents of each matrix.

Use of these M-files saves you from having to reenter your commands repeatedly. If you wish to access an M-file in a directory other than your current working directory, then enter:

       (C shell) host% setenv MATLABPATH /desired/subdirectory
       (K shell) host> export MATLABPATH=/desired/subdirectory

To quit MATLAB, use the command:

       >> exit

Note that exiting MATLAB in any other manner can leave MATLAB running.

More Information

From within MATLAB, for a good overview of its capabilities, enter:
```
  >> demo
```
From within MATLAB, for general assistance, enter:
```
  >> help
```
Outside of MATLAB, enter
```
  chilkoot> man matlab
```
For hardcopy documentation, see the MATLAB User's Guide, a copy of which can be found at ARSC's main library in WRRB, suite 105, on UAF's main campus. Additionally you may also wish to consult MATLAB's manufacturer.
If further assistance is needed, contact User Support.

Arctic Region Supercomputing Center
PO Box 756020, Fairbanks, AK 99775 | voice: 907-450-8600 | email:

Using MATLAB

Contents

Introduction

Getting Started

More Information