When you need to learn a new programming language, chances are you wonder how hard it is going to be to learn. It’s a natural tendency that everyone has. Of course, the answer to that question is going to vary greatly depending on the individual’s own interests, skills, and learning style. However, Multisoft Systems, a professional certification firm, states that “MATLAB is not hard to learn” and says that taking a course in the programming language is typically sufficient to learn how to use it. In this article, we’ll take a look at what makes MATLAB programming a relatively straightforward experience and why you should consider learning MATLAB.
But first, we’ll need to define what we mean by a programming language.
What is a Computer Programming Language?
While there are a number of ways to define programming languages, the simplest way to think of one is as a set of instructions that tell computers what to do. A computer uses the instructions programmed into it to execute the actions the instructions code for. Therefore, a programming language lets a programmer order a computer to perform tasks such as data analysis, visualization, numerical computation, and much, much more. While that might sound complicated, learning MATLAB is actually quite easy. It’s the homework that comes with taking a MATLAB course that can be hard! When you need MATLAB homework help, there are many great online resources and expert services for getting programming help online. All you need to do to get the help you need on your MATLAB assignments is to contact a reputable homework help service to connect with experts who will show you the right way to approach any MATLAB homework assignment.
To better understand what makes MATLAB relatively simple to learn, we’ll need to discuss the history of MATLAB and how the programming language can help you in many fields.
What is MATLAB Programming?
MATLAB, or “MATrix LABoratory,” is a high-level programming language tailored to working with matrices and vectors. Initially developed in the 1970s by a company called MathWorks, which still oversees MATLAB today, the programming language was designed to easily handle complex math functions like numerical computing, data analysis, and visualization. With built-in functions and toolboxes designed to enhance MATLAB’s computational and analytical power, MATLAB remains a favorite choice for programmers working in the scientific and engineering fields.
While there are many uses for MATLAB and numerous features, some of the most important are:
Numerical Computation
When you want a programming language that’s both easy to learn and complex enough to handle science and math tasks, you’ll want to use MATLAB because the programming language is well-suited to linear algebra, optimization, signal processing, statistics, and other forms of mathematical functions. MATLAB truly excels in making complex solutions to complex mathematical problems easy to process. MATLAB’s low learning curve lets you process arrays, vectors, matrices, and other functions quickly and effectively. While doing this kind of math by hand can be very difficult, MATLAB is optimized to make it easy to find solutions to even the hardest math functions.
Simulations and Modeling
Another challenging task that MATLAB greatly simplifies is the construction of models and simulations. While these types of tasks can be massively complex to build step by step if you don’t have tools to help you achieve success, MATLAB can quickly and effectively simulate dynamic systems, design control systems, and analyze the behavior of physical systems. It is even easy to learn how to use it to predict possible outcomes of uncertain events, that is, Monte Carlo simulations. MATLAB is also extremely effective in working seamlessly with Simulink, a graphical environment, to create visual simulations of data and advanced graphical modeling for dynamic systems.
Data Analysis and Visualization
The task of analyzing and visualizing data used to be massively challenging. Imagine having to plot out and draw every chart, graph, or graphic by hand, even with the aid of computer programs. With MATLAB, you have access to a number of powerful tools that can analyze, manipulate, and visualize data. While the underlying calculations can be complex, it is much simpler to learn to program with MATLAB to import, preprocess, and analyze data from files, databases, and sensors. With this simple programming language, you can run complex analysis and visualization programs involving 2D and 3D plots, graphs, charts, and animations.
Algorithm Development
Since algorithms sit at the center of data analysis and data processing, MATLAB makes it easy to process data in an interactive environment so you can develop and test algorithms with ease. MATLAB makes it easy to learn its concise and intuitive syntax. This greatly simplifies mathematical computation, and MATLAB makes it easy to prototype, debug, and integrate algorithms when you are ready to put them to work.
Application Deployment
MATLAB makes deploying a standalone application or a web app straightforward and simple. With its collaborative tools, you can share with colleagues or even collaborate with people who aren’t using MATLAB. Thanks to tools like MATLAB Compiler and MATLAB Web App Server, deployment is simple.
Community and Ecosystem
There’s one more reason that MATLAB is easy to learn: There is plenty of support available, both in the form of an active user base who contribute to documentation, online discussions, and collaborative spaces, as well as through MathWorks, which regularly updates MATLAB with new toolboxes and other improvements to keep it up to date and beneficial.