1.3: What is MATLAB?

The name MATLAB comes from MATrix LABoratory. The name is a helpful clue: MATLAB was originally designed around matrices, and matrices are still central to how MATLAB stores and processes information. In fact, even a single number in MATLAB is treated as a 1 by 1 array.

MATLAB is a high-level language for technical computing. A high-level language uses commands that are closer to human language than to machine code. For example, commands such as plot, clear, help, and sqrt are easier to understand than a long sequence of 1s and 0s.

Language type	Main idea	Examples
High-level language	Uses words and symbols that are easier for humans to understand.	MATLAB, Python
Low-level language	Closer to the instructions directly understood by the computer hardware.	Machine code, assembly language
Compiled language	The entire program is translated before it is executed.	C, C++, Fortran
Interpreted language	Statements are read and executed one at a time.	MATLAB, Python

Note

MATLAB as an interpreted language: Because MATLAB is interpreted, you can type a command and see the result immediately. This makes MATLAB very friendly for learning, experimenting, and debugging. The tradeoff is that interpreted languages can be slower than compiled languages for some large programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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