Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton

Knowledge and understanding
Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The MATLAB language, programming methods, program documentation, debugging and efficiency.
• Vector and matrix manipulation.
• MATLAB functions and script m-files.
• Flow control using IF, IF ELSE, FOR and WHILE.
• Logical operators.
• Data input and output.

Cognitive (thinking) skills
Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• Solve engineering problems by converting algorithms into computer code. Recognise and select appropriate program control structures for efficient programming.

Practical, subject specific skills
Having sucessfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• Interpret and write code written in the MATLAB language.

Key transferable skills
Having successfully completed the module, you will be better able to:

• Acquire a working knowledge of other programming languages.
• Express engineering problems as mathematical matrix problems.

The aims of this module are to:

• Provide a general introduction to MATLAB and to introduce algorithms for the solution of engineering problems in vibrations, acoustics and signal processing in an interactive PC environment.

• To introduce the student to the MATLAB language
• To apply simple algorithms coded in a computer language for the solution of problems in vibrations, acoustics and signal processing.
• To give the student direct experience of MATLAB in an interactive PC environment.

Introduction to Matlab in an interactive environment

• Simple maths
• The working environment
• Saving and recovering data
• Display precision
• Mathematical functions
• Complex numbers
• The colon operator
• Array operations

Matrix operations

• Input and screen output of matrices
• Scalar-matrix operations
• Transpose operator
• Matrix-matrix operations
• The colon operator to access array elements
• Eigenvalues and eigenvectors in the solution of vibration problems

Plotting and graphics

• Simple plots
• Annotation on plots
• Linear and logarithmic axes
• Polar plots
• The special case of plots of complex quantities
• Transfer functions of single degree of freedom systems
• Acoustic radiation patterns in polar form

M-files

• Script files
• Function files
• Combining dB values
• Numerical differentiation

Program control

• For
• While
• If and if else
• Conditional tests
• Factorials
• Newton Raphson iterations

Strings

• String functions
• Concatenation
• Strings with more than one row
• Passing strings into and out of functions
• The ASCII character set
• The function eval

Data input and output

• Importing data into Matlab
• Exporting data from Matlab
• Interfacing with Microsoft Word

Computing laboratories using MATLAB. The typical lab class size is 20. The first session commences with a didactic introduction to the language and some simple syntax. Subsequent sessions begin with a review of previous work followed by the introduction of a new topic. Students are presented with an A5 booklet of course notes at the start of the programme. These notes are a comprehensive introduction to MATLAB and comprise instructions, demonstrations and graded simple exercises which test material as it is introduced and develop applications. The lecturer assists the students as they work through the exercises provided. Feedback is given by advice and assistance in the laboratory session.

Students join the course with widely varying experience of MATLAB and related programming languages and this is dealt with by proportionate assistance during the computing laboratory sessions.

Students need to work in their own time to complete the laboratory work and are able to go to the lecturers for assistance both during the laboratory sessions at other times by appointment.

Interactive computer sessions on a PC during timetabled sessions. Many students also continue this work outside the timetabled sessions working in small groups and sometimes consulting with other students. There are three formal assignments which are more demanding than the simple exercises presented in the laboratory sessions. The lecturer provides as much help as is necessary to complete the full set of simple exercises (which are not assessed) but students are required to work on the formal assignments on their own. Students are encouraged to share experiences with each other and with the whole class at intervals throughout each session.

Core text

The primary text for the course is a fully indexed A5 Booklet of course notes that is provided to all students at the start of the programme. Students also have access to several on-line help resources including a native help programme, full copies of the MATLAB help desk and on-line internet connection to the MATHWORKS web site., ,

Secondary text

Matlab Reference Guide, 1993, The Mathworks Inc, The Mathworks Inc

Matlab User Guide, 1993, The Mathworks Inc, The Mathworks Inc

The Student Edition of Matlab, 1995, The Mathworks Inc, Prentice-Hall

The Student Edition of Matlab, 1997, The Mathworks Inc, Prentice-Hall