Introduction to Programming with MATLAB

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/matlab

Introduction

### Course Review: Introduction to Programming with MATLAB on Coursera **Overview:** The "Introduction to Programming with MATLAB" course on Coursera aims to provide a foundational understanding of computer programming, specifically using MATLAB, a powerful programming language prevalent in engineering and scientific communities. Tailored for beginners with little to no experience in programming, this course introduces learners to MATLAB’s user-friendly interface and capabilities, making it an ideal choice for those interested in solving numerical problems efficiently. **Course Structure and Syllabus:** The course is broken down into several key sections, each building on the previous one, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience. 1. **The MATLAB Environment**: This section serves as an introduction to MATLAB, guiding students on how to navigate the interface and utilize MATLAB as a sophisticated calculator. You’ll grasp the essential syntax and semantics of the language and learn to create graphical plots. 2. **Matrices and Operators**: Given that MATLAB is matrix-oriented, this module is fundamental. Here, learners will define and manipulate matrices, gaining an understanding of operations including addition, subtraction, and various forms of multiplication and division. The segment emphasizes the importance of operators and their hierarchy. 3. **Functions**: This module introduces the concept of functions, allowing students to break complex problems into manageable components. You’ll learn how to create reusable functions and understand their inputs and outputs, enhancing your programming efficiency. 4. **Programmer's Toolbox**: MATLAB includes a range of built-in functions that streamline programming tasks. This section explores polymorphism, random number generation, input methods, debugging techniques, and basic graph plotting, equipping students with essential tools for effective programming. 5. **Selection**: Here, you will learn about decision-making in programming through selection statements like "if" and logical operators. Understanding how to create error-resistant, polymorphic functions is also covered. 6. **Loops**: The course delves into MATLAB’s looping constructs, primarily the **for-loop** and **while-loop**. Students will learn to implement conditions for loop execution, efficiency improvements, and how to use nested loops effectively. 7. **Data Types**: Understanding data types is crucial for effective programming. This module covers the various data types MATLAB works with, including conversions and the creation of complex data structures such as structs and cells. 8. **File Input/Output**: In this final section, you’ll become familiar with reading from and writing to various file types, including MAT-files, Excel files, and text files. This knowledge is essential for data manipulation and storage in programming. **Final Thoughts and Recommendations:** The "Introduction to Programming with MATLAB" course on Coursera is highly recommended for anyone beginning their journey in programming, especially in fields that involve numerical computations, such as engineering, data analysis, or any mathematical applications. The course is methodically structured, progresses logically, and is rich in content that is both theoretical and practical. The platform's interactive features, including quizzes, peer discussions, and hands-on coding assignments, provide an engaging learning experience that solidifies understanding. Furthermore, the accessibility of the course materials means you can learn at your own pace, which is a significant advantage for busy individuals balancing work or study commitments. Overall, whether you’re a student aiming to enhance your skills, a professional looking to switch fields, or simply someone curious about programming, this course offers valuable insights and practical abilities that are applicable across numerous domains. Embrace the opportunity to learn MATLAB, and you'll open doors to innovative problem-solving techniques and advanced programming skills.

Syllabus

Course Pages

We will learn how to start MATLAB and will familiarize ourselves with its user interface. We will learn how to use MATLAB as a sophisticated calculator. We will learn about syntax and semantics. We will see ways in which MATLAB provides help. Finally, we will learn how to create plots in MATLAB.

The basic unit with which we work in MATLAB is the matrix. We solve problems by manipulating matrices, and operators are the primary means by which we manipulate them. We will learn how to define matrices, extract parts of them and combine them to form new matrices. We will learn how to use operators to add, subtract, multiply, and divide matrices, and we will learn that there are several different types of multiplication and division. Finally, we will learn MATLAB’s rules for determining the order in which operators are carried out when more than one of them appear in the same expression.

Functions let us break up complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts. We will learn how functions let us create reusable software components that can be applied in many different programs. We will learn how the environment inside a function is separated from the outside via a well defined interface through which it communicates with that outside world. We will learn how to define a function to allow input to it when it initiates its execution and output from it when it is done.

MATLAB has useful built-in functions and we will explore many of them in this section. We will learn about polymorphism and how MATLAB exploits it to change a function's behavior on the basis of the number and type of its inputs. Because random numbers play an important role in computer programming, we will learn how to use the MATLAB random number generator. We will learn how to get input from the keyboard, how to print to the Command Window, and how to plot graphs in a Figure window. Finally, we will learn how to find programming errors with the help of the debugger.

Selection is the means by which MATLAB makes decisions about the order in which it executes its statements. We will learn how to use the if-statement, which is the most important method of selection. We will learn how to use relational operators and logical operators. We will learn how to write polymorphic functions and how to make functions resistant to error.

Loops give computers their power. We will learn how to use both of MATLAB's loop constructs: the for-loop and the while-loop. We will learn how the break-statement works, and we will use nested loops. We will learn how to make loops more efficient. We will learn about logical indexing and will see how to use it to produce implicit loops that are efficient and easy for a user to understand.

Computers operate on bits, but humans think in terms of numbers, words, and other types of data. Like any good language, MATLAB organizes bits into convenient data types. We will study those types in this section. We will learn that there are ten types of numbers and that there are conversion functions to change one type into another. We will learn much more about strings and how the characters in them are encoded as numbers. We will learn how to produce heterogeneous collections of data via structs and cells, and we will learn how to store points in time and time durations.

Files are named areas in permanent memory for storing data that can be used as input or output to MATLAB and to other programs. We will be introduced to MATLAB’s most important methods for reading and writing files. We will learn how to create, read from, and write into MAT-files, Excel files, text files, and binary files. We will learn how to navigate among folders with MATLAB commands.