This course teaches computer programming to those with little to no previous experience. It uses the programming system and language called MATLAB to do so because it is easy to learn, versatile and very useful for engineers and other professionals. MATLAB is a special-purpose language that is an excellent choice for writing moderate-size programs that solve problems involving the manipulation of numbers. The design of the language makes it possible to write a powerful program in a few lines. The problems may be relatively complex, while the MATLAB programs that solve them are relatively simple: relative, that is, to the equivalent program written in a general-purpose language, such as C++ or Java. As a result, MATLAB is being used in a wide variety of domains from the natural sciences, through all disciplines of engineering, to finance, and beyond, and it is heavily used in industry. Hence, a solid background in MATLAB is an indispensable skill in today’s job market.
This course is part of the MATLAB Programming for Engineers and Scientists Specialization
Offered By
MATLAB Programming for Engineers and Scientists SpecializationVanderbilt UniversityAbout this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
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What you will learn
You will learn fundamental computer programming concepts such as variables, control structures, functions and many others.
You will learn about various data types and how to handle them in MATLAB.
You will learn the powerful support MATLAb provides for working with matrices.
You will learn about file input/output.
Skills you will gain
Learner Career Outcomes
22%
23%
10%
Offered by
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tenn., is a private research university and medical center offering a full-range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Course Pages
The MATLAB Environment
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.
Matrices and Operators
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
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.
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING WITH MATLAB
I would like to thank vanderbilt university for providing such a wonderful course and i am much impressed by the use of the basic matrices in each and every programming purpose.thank you again!!!!:)))
Instructor of this course Mike Fitzpatrick is a very good teacher who encourage students to do something new and interesting. I really enjoyed learning this course and learned new skills in MATLAB.
There is much more to MATLAB than what the course can cover. But It has definitely provided me with the necessary skills and confidence to use it in tackling the practical problems in the real world.
Very good course, it has some really mind blowing problem sets. I would suggest everyone to hit the problems with a blank mind, i found completely different ways to solve them, and that was amazing.
About the MATLAB Programming for Engineers and Scientists Specialization
This Specialization aims to take learners with little to no programming experience to being able to create MATLAB programs that solve real-world problems in engineering and the sciences. The focus is on computer programming in general, but the numerous language features that make MATLAB uniquely suited to engineering and scientific computing are also covered in depth. Topics presented range from basic programming concepts in the first course, through more advanced techniques including recursion, program efficiency, Object Oriented Programming, graphical user interfaces in the second course, to data and image analysis, data visualization and machine learning in the third course.
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