MATLAB is an environment for performing calculations and simulations of a variety of types. MATLAB, short for matrix laboratory, was developed by Cleve Moler, a professor of mathematics and computer science, in the late 70s and early 80s. In 1984, Cleve Moler and Jack Little founded The MathWorks which has been developing MATLAB ever since. In the earliest version of MATLAB, there were about 80 commands, and they allowed for matrix calculations. Now there are thousands of commands, and there are many, many types of calculations that one can perform [3]. Simulink is a MATLAB “add-on” that allows one to simulate systems by combining blocks of various types. We will make use of Simulink as well.
During the course of this lab, the student will learn how to make calculations using MATLAB and will learn a little about simulating systems using the simulation tools provided by MATLAB and Simulink.