United International University (UIU)

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE)

Course No. EEE 110
Course Title : Simulation laboratory

Student’s Handout

The easiest and best way to learn MATLAB is to use MATLAB.

Introduction to MATLAB
What is MATLAB:
MATLAB stands for MATrix LABoratory .MATLAB is a software package for computation in
engineering, science, and applied mathematics. It offers a powerful programming language, excellent
graphics, and a wide range of expert knowledge. MATLAB is published by and a trademark of The
MathWorks, Inc.
Standard Windows :
When the MATLAB program starts, the following window opens which contains four smaller
windows .These windows are default and can be switched on or off if necessary.

Command Current Directory & Command

History window Workspace window window

Figure 1.1 : The default view of MATLAB desktop

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Four most used MATLAB Windows
Command This is where you type and execute commands
Window
Workspace This shows current variables and allows to edit variables by opening array editor (double
Window click), to load variables from files and to clear variables.
Current This shows current directory and MATLAB files in current folder, provides with a handy
Directory way to change folders and to load files.
window
History window This shows previously executed commands. Commands can be re-executed by double-
clicking.
Working on the command window :
(A)Using MATLAB as a calculator
You can use “command window” part for various calculations as if you would use a calculator: Type
expressions containing numbers, parenthesis and mathematical operations and press “Enter” to get the result.
Example :
>> 2^sqrt(9)
ans =
8
>> a = 1.2;
>> b=2.3;
>> c=4.5;
>> d=4;
>> a^3+sqrt(b*d)-4*c
ans =
-13.2388
Note the semicolon after each variable assignment. If you omit the semicolon, then MATLAB echoes back on
the screen the variable value.
(B)Assigning Values to Variables
To create a variable just use it on the left hand side of an equal sign. The following examples show how to
assign values to variables, x and y.
>> x= 5
x=
5
>> y =log(2)
y=
0.6931
>> z = 10;
<nothing is displayed. Why? Because of the semicolon used. But be confirmed that, a value of 10 is stored in
the variable z but does not display. >
Note that :
(1) You can use who command to list the currently active variables. For the preceding session this results in
>> who
Your variables are:
ans x y z
(2) Use clear command to delete variables from computer memory
>> clear x

2
 >> x
??? Undefined function or variable 'x'.
(3) Suppress intermediate output with Semicolon.
MATLAB will print the result of every assignment operation unless the expression on the right hand side is
terminated with a semicolon.
(C)List of useful commands for managing variables :
Command Outcome
clear Removes all variables from memory.
clear x y z Removes only variables x,y,z from the memory .
who Displays a list the variables currently in the memory.
whos Displays a list the variables currently in the memory and their size together with
information about their bytes and class.
(D)Two important command to ensure fairness and readability
Command Outcome
clc Clears contents on the command window ensuring blank working environment
% If used before any line or statement, program ignores the line or statement.
So used to insert any comment in the program.
(E)Predefined variables :
A number of frequently used variables are already defined when MATLAB is started. Some
of the predefined variables are :
Predefined Meaning
Variables
ans A variable that has the value of the last expression that has not assigned to a specific
variable. If the user does not assign the value of an expression to a variable, MATLAB
automatically stores the result in ans .
pi Value of the number π .
eps The smallest difference between two numbers. It’s value is 2.2204e-016 .
inf Used for infinity.
i or j Defined as −1
NaN Stands for Not-a-Number.Used when MATLAB cannot determine a valid numeric
value.For example 0/0.
(F)Complex numbers :
MATLAB also supports complex numbers. The imaginary number is denoted with the symbol i or j, assuming
that you did not use these symbols anywhere in your program (that is very important!). Try the following:
>> z =3 + 4i % note that you do not need the ‘*’ after 4
>> conj(z) % computes the conjugate of z
>> angle(z) % computes the phase of z
>> real(z) % computes the real part of z
>> imag(z) % computes the imaginary part of z
>> abs(z) % computes the magnitude of z

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(G)Elementary Math functions used in MATLAB:
Function Description Example
sqrt(x) Square root >> sqrt(16)
ans =
4
x
exp(x) Exponential (e ) >> exp(3)
ans =
20.0855
abs(x) Absolute value >> abs(-4)
ans =
4
>> abs(3+4j)
ans =
5
log(x) Natural logarithm (Base e ) >> log(1000)
ans =
6.9078
log10(x) Base 10 logarithm . >> log10(1000)
ans =
3
factorial(x) The factorial function x! >> factorial(5)
(x must be a positive integer.) ans =
120
sin(x) Sine of angle x (x in radians) >> sin(pi/6)
ans =
0.5000
cos(x) cosine of angle x (x in radians) >> cos(pi/4)
ans =
0.7071
tan(x) Tangent of angle x (x in radians) >> tan(pi/3)
ans =
1.7321
cot(x) Cotangent of angle x (x in radians) >> cot(pi/6)
ans =
1.7321
asin(x) Inverse sine of x >> asin(sqrt(3)/2)
ans =
1.0472
(Note that result is in radians)
round(x) Round to the nearest integer >> round(17/5)

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 ans =
3
fix(x) Round towards zero. >> fix(13/5)
ans =
2
ceil(x) Round towards infinity. >> ceil(11/5)
ans =
3
floor(x) Round towards minus infinity. >> floor(9/4)
ans =
2
rem(x,y) Returns the remainder after x is divided >> rem(13,5)
by y. ans =
3
sign(x) Signum function. >> sign(-5)
Returns 1 if x>0 ans =
Returns -1 if x<0 -1
(H)Creating Vectors and Matrices
The array or matrix is a fundamental form that uses to store and manipulate data.
Unlike C programming language , array index starts from 1 in MATLAB instead of 0 in C programming.
To create a matrix In MATLAB, use the brackets. Numbers (or variables) inside the brackets can be separated
by commas, spaces, or semicolons, where commas and spaces are row separators; semicolons are column
separators. For example,
>> a=[2,5,7]
a=
2 5 7
>> b=[3,4,a]
b=
3 4 2 5 7
>> c=[2 3;4 5]
c=
2 3
4 5
(I)Colon Operator
MATLAB colon operator is a compact way to create vectors. For example,
>> A=1:0.1:1.5
A=
1.0000 1.1000 1.2000 1.3000 1.4000 1.5000
Where 0.1 is the increment, if omitted, it is assumed to be one.
>> B = 1:5
B=
1 2 3 4 5

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(J)Create some basic matrices using MATLAB built-in functions: ones, zeros, eye

Commands Description Example

zeros(m,n) A matrix of dimension m×n having all elements 0 >> zeros(3,4)
ans =
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
ones(m,n) A matrix of dimension m×n having all elements 1 >> ones(3,4)
ans =
1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1
eye(n) An identity matrix of dimension n×n >> eye(4)
ans =
1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 1
(K)Determine size of a matrix
Command Description Example
size(x) Determines size of the matrix >> x=[1 2 3;4 5 6;7 8 9]
x=
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
>> size(x)
ans =

3 3

(L)Addressing Vectors or Matrices:

Command Meaning Example when

A=
1 3 5 7 9 11
2 4 6 8 10 12
3 6 9 12 15 18
4 8 12 16 20 24
5 10 15 20 25 30
>> B=A(:,3)
A(:,n) Refers to the elements in the rows of column n of the matrix
B=
A 5
6
9
12
15
A(n,:) Refers to the elements in all the columns of row n of >> C=A(2,:)
C=
the matrix A. 2 4 6 8 10 12
>> E=A(:,2:4)
A(:,m:n) Refers to the elements in all the rows between columns m

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 E=
and n of the matrix A
3 5 7
4 6 8
6 9 12
8 12 16
10 15 20
A(m:n,:) Refers to the elements in all the columns between rows >> D=A(2:4,:)
D=
m and n of the matrix A. 2 4 6 8 10 12
3 6 9 12 15 18
4 8 12 16 20 24
A(m:n,p:q) Refers to the elements in rows m trough n and columns >> F=A(1:3,2:4)
F=
p through q of the matrix A. 3 5 7
4 6 8
6 9 12
Mathematical operations on Arrays
(A)Addition and Subtraction of Arrays :
Mathematical Review:
⎡A 11 A12 A 13 ⎤ ⎡B11 B12 B13 ⎤
If A = ⎢ ⎥ and B = ⎢ ⎥
⎣A 21 A 22 A 23 ⎦ ⎣B 21 B 22 B 23 ⎦
⎡A11 + B11 A 12 + B12 A 13 + B13 ⎤
Then , A + B = ⎢ ⎥
⎣A 21 + B 21 A 22 + B 22 A 23 + B 23 ⎦
⎡A 11 − B11 A 12 − B12 A 13 − B13 ⎤
A−B= ⎢ ⎥
And, ⎣A 21 − B 21 A 22 − B 22 A 23 − B 23 ⎦
MATLAB Example :
>> A=[1 2 3;4 5 6];
>> B=[8 9 10;11 12 13];
>> A+B
ans =
9 11 13
15 17 19
>> A-B
ans =
-7 -7 -7

-7 -7 -7

(B) Array Multiplications :

Mathematical Review :
⎡A 11 A12 A 13 ⎤
⎢A A A 23 ⎥⎥ ⎡B11 B12 ⎤
A=⎢
21 22

⎢A 31 A 32 A 33 ⎥ B = ⎢⎢B 21 B 22 ⎥⎥
⎢ ⎥
⎣A 41 A 42 A 43 ⎦ ⎢⎣B 31 B 32 ⎥⎦
If and
Be sure that, number of columns of Matrix A is equal to number of rows of Matrix B .Otherwise multiplication
is not defined.

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 ⎡A 11 A 12 A 13 ⎤
⎢A A A ⎥ B B
23 ⎥ ⎡ 11 12 ⎤
AB = ⎢
21 22
⎢
⎢A 31 A 32 A 33 ⎥ B 21 B 22 ⎥
⎢ ⎥⎢ ⎥
Then,
A A A ⎢
⎣ 41 42 43 ⎦ ⎣ 31 32 ⎥⎦
B B
⎡A 11 B11 + A 12 B 21 + A 13 B 31 A 11 B12 + A 12 B 22 + A 13 B 32 ⎤
⎢A B + A B + A B A 21 B12 + A 22 B 22 + A 23 B 32 ⎥⎥
= ⎢ 21 11 22 21 23 31

⎢A 31 B11 + A 32 B 21 + A 33 B 31 A 31 B12 + A 32 B 22 + A 33 B 32 ⎥
⎢ ⎥
⎣A 41 B11 + A 42 B 21 + A 43 B 31 A 41 B12 + A 42 B 22 + A 43 B 32 ⎦

A numerical example :
⎡1 4 3 ⎤ ⎡5 4 ⎤
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
A= 2 6 1 and B= 1 3
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢⎣5 2 8⎥⎦ ⎢⎣2 6⎥⎦
Then,
⎡1 4 3 ⎤ ⎡5 4 ⎤ ⎡1.5 + 4.1 + 3.2 1.4 + 4.3 + 3.6 ⎤ ⎡15 34 ⎤
⎢2 6 1 ⎥ ⎢1 3 ⎥ ⎢2.5 + 6.1 + 1.2 2.4 + 6.3 + 1.6 ⎥⎥ ⎢18 32 ⎥
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎢ ⎥
⎢
AB = ⎣5 2 8 ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣2 6⎥⎦ ⎢⎣5.5 + 2.1 + 8.2 5.4 + 2.3 + 8.6⎥⎦ ⎢⎣43 74⎥⎦
= =
MATLAB Example :
>> A=[1 4 3;2 6 1;5 2 8];
>> B=[5 4;1 3;2 6];
>> A*B
ans =
15 34
18 32
43 74
(C) Inverse of a Matrix
MATLAB Example :
>> A=[2 1 4;4 1 8;2 -1 3];
>> inv(A)
ans =
5.5000 -3.5000 2.0000
2.0000 -1.0000 0
-3.0000 2.0000 -1.0000
Note: The Command >>A^-1 will have the same effect.
(D)Left Division and right Division

Command Name Meaning Example

A\B Left Division A-1B >> A=[1 2 3;4 5 6;7 8 9];
>> B=[10 11 12;13 14 15;16 17 18];
>> A\B % Left division
ans =
-20.0000 -17.0000 -18.0000
33.0000 26.0000 27.0000
-12.0000 -8.0000 -8.0000

A/B Right Division AB-1 >> A/B % right division

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 ans =
1.0000 3.0000 -3.0000
1.0000 2.0000 -2.0000
0.5000 2.0000 -1.5000

(E)Element-By-Element Operations (Very Very Important)

⎡A 11 A 12 A 13 ⎤ ⎡B11 B12 B13 ⎤

⎢ ⎥ ⎢
If two matrices are A = A 21 A 22 A 23 and B = B 21 B 22 B 23
⎥
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢⎣A 31 A 32 A 33 ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣B 31 B 32 B 33 ⎥⎦

Then, observe the following operation :

Command Meaning Outcome

A.*B Multiplies ⎡A 11 B11 A 12 B12 A 13 B13 ⎤
every element
of A with A. * B = ⎢⎢A 21 B 21 A 22 B 22 A 23 B 23 ⎥⎥
corresponding ⎢⎣A 31 B 31 A 32 B 32
element of B
A 33 B 33 ⎥⎦
A./B Divides every ⎡A 11 /B11 A 12 /B12 A 13 / B13 ⎤
element of A
by A. / B = ⎢⎢A 21 /B 21 A 22 /B 22 A 23 / B 23 ⎥⎥
corresponding ⎢⎣A 31 /B 31 A 32 /B 32
element of B
A 33 / B 33 ⎥⎦
A.^n Every ⎡A 11 n A 12 n A 13 n ⎤
element of A ⎢ n ⎥
is raised by a n
A.^ n = ⎢A 21 A 22 A 23 ⎥
n
power n. ⎢ n n n ⎥
⎣⎢A 31 A 32 A 33 ⎦⎥
Note: Observe carefully difference between using dot and not using dot.
(F)Built in functions for analyzing arrays :
Function Description Example
mean(A) Returns mean value of the elements of vector A. >> A=[5 9 2 4];
>> mean(A)
ans =
5
c = max(A) Returns maximum value of the elements of vector A >> c=max(A)
c=
9
[d n] =max(A) Returns maximum value of the elements of vector A and >> A=[5 9 2 4];
also return it’s position. >> [d n] =max(A)
d=
9
n=
2
c=min(A) Returns minimum value of the elements of vector A >> A=[3 4 5 7 -5 10];
>> c=min(A)
c=
-5

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[d n]=min(A) Returns maximum value of the elements of vector A and >> A=[3 4 5 7 -5 10];
also return it’s position. >> [d n]=min(A)
d=
-5
n=
5
sum(A) Returns the sum of the vector A. >> A=[5 9 2 4];
>> sum(A)
ans =
20
sort(A) Arranges the elements of vector A in ascending order. >> A=[5 9 2 4];
>> sort(A)
ans =
2 4 5 9
median(A) Returns the median value of the elements of vector A. >> A=[5 9 2 4];
>> median(A)
ans =
4.5000
std(A) Returns the standard deviation of the elements of vector A. >> A=[5 9 2 4];
>> std(A)
ans =
2.9439
det(A) Returns the determinant of matrix A. >> A=[2 4 6;6 9 1;0 2 7];
A must be square matrix. >> det(A)
ans =
26
dot(a,b) Returns the scalar or dot product of two vectors a and b. >> a=[1 2 3];
>> b=[3 4 5];
>> dot(a,b)
ans =
26
cross(a,b) Returns the scalar or dot product of two vectors a and b. >> a=[1 2 3];
>> b=[3 4 5];
>> cross(a,b)
ans =
-2 4 -2

10
Script Files in MATLAB
Why script Files :
In the previous session, the commands were executed in the command window. Although every MATLAB
command can be executed in this way, there are some drawbacks of using command window .
(i) Using the command window to execute a series of commands especially if they are related to each
other is not convenient and may be difficult or even impossible.
(ii) The commands in the command window cannot be saved and executed again.
(iii) The command window is not interactive. This means that, every time the ENTER key is pressed ,
only the last command is executed, and everything executed before is unchanged. If a change or
correction is needed in a previous command ,the commands have to be entered again.
A different way of executing commands with MATLAB is first to create a file with a list of commands,
save it and then run the file. The files that are used for this purpose is called script files.

Creating and saving a script file:

In MATLAB, script files are created and edited in the Editor/Debugger window. To do so, follow
File→New → M-File .You will see the following window:

|
Run icon

The commands in the script file are

typed line by line. The lines are
numbered automatically. A new line
Line number starts when Enter key is pressed.

Figure 2.1:The editor/debugger window

Before a script file can be executed it has to be saved. This is done by choosing save as from the file menu,
selecting a location and entering a name for the file.

Running a script file :

A script file can be executed in two ways:
(i) Directly from the editor window by clicking on Run icon (see figure 2.1 ) or, debug → run
<file_name.m> or simply press F5.
(ii) Type it’s name in the command window and press Enter.
One complete example:

11
Problem description :Voltage divider : When several resistors are connected in series in an
Rn
electrical circuit , the voltage across each of them is given by the voltage divider rule: v n = .vs ,
R eq
where vn and Rn are the voltage across nth resistor Rn is resistive value .Req = ∑R n is the total resistance
Rn 2
. The power dissipated in the nth resistor is given by, Pn = v
2 s
R eq
The figure below shows for example a circuit with seven resistors connected in series .

R1 R2 R3
+
vs _
R4

R7 R6 R5

Write program in calculates the a script file which calculates the voltage across each resistor and power
dissipated in each resistor, in a circuit that has resistors connected in series. When the script file is
executed , it prompts the user to first enter the source voltage and then to enter the resistance of the
resistors in a vector . The program displays the result in a table. Following the table , the program displays
the current in the circuit, and the total power.
Run the program and enter the following data for vs and the R’s.
vs = 24V, R1=20Ω , R2=14Ω , R3=12Ω, R4=18Ω, R5=8Ω, R6=15Ω, R7=10Ω
Solution : Create the M-File as in the Editor window given below :

Figure 2.2:An example of a script file.

After executing the script file in the command window ,the output is as follows:

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 >> Vdivider
Please enter the source voltage:24
Please enter the values of the resistors in a row vector
[20 14 12 18 8 15 10]
Resistance Voltage Power
(Ohms) (Volts) (Watts)
20.0000 4.9485 1.2244
14.0000 3.4639 0.8571
12.0000 2.9691 0.7346
18.0000 4.4536 1.1019
8.0000 1.9794 0.4897
15.0000 3.7113 0.9183
10.0000 2.4742 0.6122

The current in the circuit is 0.247423 Amps.

The total power dissipated in the circuit is 5.938144 Watts.

Controlling Execution Flow

It is possible to do a great deal in MATLAB by simply executing statements involving matrix expressions, one
after the other, However, there are cases in which one simply must substitute some non-sequential order. To
facilitate this, MATLAB provides three relatively standard methods for controlling program flow: For Loops,
While Loops, and If statements

Examples of control flow statements:

IF:
x=-3;
if x>0
str=’positive’;
elseif x<0
str=’negative’;
elseif x = = 0
str=’zero’;
else
str=’error’;
end
What is the value of ’str’ after execution of the above code?

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WHILE:
x=-10;
while x<0
x=x+1;
end
What is the value of x after execution of the above loop?
FOR loop:
X=0;
for i=1:10
X=X+1;
end
The above code computes the sum of all numbers from 1 to 10.
SWITCH:
X = 10;
switch x
case 5
disp (‘x is 5’)
case 6
disp (‘x is 6’)
case 8
disp (‘x is 8’)
case 10
disp (‘x is 10’)

otherwise
disp (‘invalid choice’)
end

BREAK:
The break statement lets you exit early from a for or a while loop:

x=-10;
while x<0
x=x+2;
if x = = -2
break;
end
end
MATLAB supports the following relational and logical operators:
Relational Operators:
Symbol Meaning

<= Less than or equal to

< Less than
>= Greater than or equal to
> Greater than
== Equal to
˜= Not equal to (unlike C. In C, it was !=)

Logical Operators:
Symbol Meaning
& AND
| OR
˜ (tilde) NOT (unlike C. In C, it was !)

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An Illustrative complete Example of using control flow :
Example: Write a script file to sum the series 1+2+3+………….n , n taken from user.

Figure 2.5:Use of for loop

Executing from command window:

Figure 2.7:Execution of series.m

Writing Functions
A function file starts with a line declaring the function, its arguments and its outputs. There follow the
statements required to produce the outputs from the inputs (arguments). That's it.
Here is a simple example: Suppose we want to calculate average of some numbers. For this purpose , let us
create a function named average.m
The steps are:
(i) Open a new M-File from Editor.
(ii) Write the following code as shown in the figure .

15
 Must be saved as the same name of the
function.

Figure 2.3:An example of a function script file.

Structure of a function definition line :
function [output arguments] = function_name(input arguments)

Every function definition line A list of output

must start with the word arguments typed
function (all lower case letter). inside brackets.

The name of the function. This name is very important, because A list of input arguments
we will call the function by this name. Save the script by typed inside parentheses.
function name.m
Body of a function :
The function body contains the computer program(code) that actually performs the computation .The
code can use all MATLAB programming features. This includes calculations , assignments any built in or user
defined functions, flow control etc.
You can now understand the function as shown in figure 2.3.
How to use a user defined function :
We can call a function from the command window as show in the following figure 2.4 .

Figure 2.4: Calling our function average.m from command window.

16
Another example :
Problem: Write a function that takes radius as input and find its area and perimeter.
Solutuin :
The function is defined as follows :

function [area peri]=circle(radius)

area=pi*radius^2;
peri=2*pi*radius;

(Create it in M-File script and save as circle.m)

How to call circle.m function from command window:

>> r=10;
>> [Area Perimeter]=circle(r)
Area =
314.1593
Perimeter =
62.8319

2-D plotting in MATLAB

Plots are very useful tools for presenting information . MATLAB has many commands that can be used for
creating different types of plots. We will discuss some of them now .

The plot command :

The plot command is used to create two-dimensional plots. The simplest form of the command is :
plot(x,y)
Vector Vector
Example : plot command to draw simple curve .

>> x=[1 2 3 5 7 8 10];

>> y=[2 -6.5 7 7 5.5 4 6];
>> plot(x,y)

The commands on the command window gives the following figure window.

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The plot command has additional optional arguments that can be used to specify the color and style of the line
and the color and type of markers,if any are desired.With these options the command has the form:

plot(x,y,’line specifiers’,’PropertyName’,’PropertyValue’)

Line specifiers :
Line specifiers are optional and can be used to define the style and color of the line and type of the markers (if
the markers are used).The line specifiers are:
Line style Specifier
solid(default) -
dashed --
dotted :
Dash-dott -.
Line color specifier :
Line color Specifier
red r
green g
blue b
cyan c
magenta m
yellow y
black k
white w
Marker type specifiers are :
Marker type Specifier
plus sign +
circle o
asterisk *
point .
square s
diamond d
five-point star p
six-point star h
Some examples :
Command Meaning
plot(x,y) A blue solid line connecting the points with no markers (default)
plot(x,y,’r’) A red solid line connecting the points.
plot(x,y,’--y’) A yellow dashed line connecting the lines
plot(x,y,’*’) The points are marked with * (no line between points)
plot(x,y,’g:d’) A green dotted line connecting the points that are marked with diamond markers.
Particular example :
Suppose the following given data is used to create vectors that are then used in the plot command.
Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Sales 8 12 20 22 18 24 27
(millions)
To plot this data, the following codes are written in the command window :

>> yr=[2002:1:2008];
>> sle=[8 12 20 22 18 24 27];
>> plot(yr,sle,'--r*','linewidth',2,'markersize',12)

18
After execution the following figure window is opened.

Plot of a given function :

In many situations there is a need to plot a given function.This can be done in MATLAB by using plot or fplot
function.
(i)Using plot function:
−0.5 x
Suppose we want to plot y = (3.5) cos(6 x ) for -2≤ x ≤ 4
The program that plots this function is shown in the following commands :
>> x=[-2:.001:4];
>> y = 3.5.^(-0.5*x).*cos(6*x);
>> plot(x,y)

And the output figure will be as the following:

(ii)Using fplot function :

The commands will be :
fplot('3.5.^(-0.5*x).*cos(6*x)',[-2 4])

19
 The output figure is the same as above.

Plotting Multiple Graphs in the same plot:

There are three ways to do so:
(i) Plot commands with pair of vectors inside it
(ii) Using hold on and hold off command
(iii) Using line command
Example : Plot the function y = 3x 3 − 26 x + 6 and it’s first and second derivatives for -2 ≤
x ≤ 4 all in a same plot .
Solution :
Method Command in a script file
(i) x=[-2:0.01:4];
y=3*x.^3-26*x+6;
yd=9*x.^2-26;
ydd=18*x;
plot(x,y,'-b',x,yd,'--r',x,ydd,':k')
(ii) x=[-2:0.01:4];
y=3*x.^3-26*x+6;
yd=9*x.^2-26;
ydd=18*x;
plot(x,y,'-b')
hold on % only one hold on is enough
plot(x,yd,'--r')
plot(x,ydd,':k')
hold off
(iii) x=[-2:0.01:4];
y=3*x.^3-26*x+6;
yd=9*x.^2-26;
ydd=18*x;
plot(x,y,'linestyle','-','color','b')
line(x,yd,'linestyle','--','color','r')
line(x,ydd,'linestyle',':','color','k')

Any one of the command will give the following figure:

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Formatting a plot using commands :
The formatting commands are placed after the plot or fplot commands .The various formatting commands are
shown in the following table:
Labeling the axes :
Forms Purpose
xlabel(‘string’) To label the x axis and y axis by text.
ylabel(‘string’)
title(‘string’) To give a title to your figure
text(x,y,’ string’) To place a text anywhere on the figure.
gtext(‘string’)
legend(‘string1’,’string2’……) To place a legend on the plot.
Setting limits of axes :
Forms Purpose
axis([xmin , xmax]) Sets the limits of the x axis (xmin and xmax are numbers)
axis([xmin , xmax,ymin,ymax]) Sets the limits of both the axis
axis equal Sets the same scale for both the axis
axis square Sets the axis region to be square

Setting gridline on/off :

Forms Purpose
grid on Adds grid line to the plot
grid off Removes grid line from the plot

Making plot of discrete time plots :

Use of stem():
Example :
>> x=0:1:10;
>> y=sin(x);
>> stem(x,y)

will give the following figure :

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Plotting Multiple plots on the same page :
Use of subplot :
Multiple plots on the same page can be created with the subplot command which has the
form
subplot(m,n,p)
The command divides the figure window (page when printed) into m×n rectangular subplots
where plots will be created . p varies from 1 to m.n row wise. For example
subplot(3,2,1)……..(3,2,6) will create the following arrangement.

(3,2,1) (3,2,2)

(3,2,3) (3,2,4)

(3,2,5) (3,2,6)

Case study :
The figure shows a simple high pass filter consisting of a resistor and a capacitor .The ratio of the output
voltage V0
V0 j2πfRC
to the input Vi is given by, = +
Vi 1 + j2πfRC +
C
V0
vi _
R

Assume R=16kΩ and C=1µF, Calculate and plot the amplitude and phase response of this filter as a function of
frequency.
Solution :The script file is as follows :

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The output figure is as follows :

Student’s Handout prepared by :B.K.M. Mizanur Rahman

Faculty Member , Department of EEE,
United International University.
Last Update : Spring 2009

Reference books :
(1) “Duane Hanselman , Bruce Littlefield “
Mastering MATLAB 7
(2) “Amos Gilat”
MATLAB An introduction with Applications
Web resourse : www.mathworks.com

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