MATLAB Fundamentals for Aerospace Applications
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This three-day course provides a comprehensive introduction to the MATLAB® technical computing environment for aerospace engineers. No prior programming experience or knowledge of MATLAB is assumed. Themes of data analysis, visualization, modeling, and programming are explored throughout the course, with an emphasis on practical application to aerospace engineering.
Topics include:
- Working with the MATLAB user interface
- Entering commands and creating variables
- Analyzing vectors and matrices
- Visualizing vector and matrix data
- Working with data files
- Working with data types
- Automating commands with scripts
- Writing programs with branching and loops
- Writing functions
Day 1 of 3
Working with the MATLAB User Interface
Objective: Become familiar with the main features of the MATLAB integrated design environment and its user interfaces. Get an overview of course themes.
- Reading data from files
- Saving and loading variables
- Plotting data
- Customizing plots
- Exporting graphics for use in other applications
Variables and Commands
Objective: Enter MATLAB commands, with an emphasis on creating variables, accessing and manipulating data in variables, and creating basic visualizations. Collect MATLAB commands into scripts for ease of reproduction and experimentation.
- Entering commands
- Creating numeric and character variables
- Making and annotating plots
- Getting help
- Creating and running live scripts
Analysis and Visualization with Vectors
Objective: Perform mathematical and statistical calculations with vectors. Use MATLAB syntax to perform calculations on whole data sets with a single command. Organize scripts into logical sections for development, maintenance, and publishing.
- Performing calculations with vectors
- Accessing and modifying values in vectors
- Formatting and sharing live scripts
Day 2 of 3
Analysis and Visualization with Matrices
Objective: Use matrices as mathematical objects or as collections of (vector) data. Understand the appropriate use of MATLAB syntax to distinguish between these applications.
- Creating and manipulating matrices
- Performing calculations with matrices
- Calculating statistics with matrix data
- Visualizing matrix data
Tables of Data
Objective: Import data as a MATLAB table. Work with data stored as a table.
- Storing data as a table
- Operating on tables
- Extracting data from tables
- Modifying tables
Conditional Data Selection
Objective: Extract and analyze subsets of data that satisfy given criteria.
- Logical operations and variables
- Finding and counting
- Logical indexing
Organizing Data
Objective: Organize table data for analysis. Represent data using appropriate native MATLAB data types.
- Combining tables of data
- Table metadata
- Dates and durations
- Discrete categories
Day 3 of 3
Analyzing Data
Objective: Perform typical data analysis tasks in MATLAB, including importing data from files, preprocessing data, fitting a model to data, and creating a customized visualization of the model.
- Importing from spreadsheets and delimited text files
- Dealing with missing data
- Plotting functions
- Customizing plots
Increasing Automation with Programming Constructs
Objective: Create flexible code that can interact with the user, make decisions, and adapt to different situations.
- Programming constructs
- User interaction
- Decision branching
- Loops
Increasing Automation with Functions
Objective: Increase automation by encapsulating modular tasks as user-defined functions. Understand how MATLAB resolves references to files and variables. Use MATLAB development tools to find and correct problems with code.
- Creating functions
- Calling functions
- Setting the MATLAB path
- Debugging
- Using breakpoints
- Creating and using structures
Level: Fundamental
Prerequisites:
- Undergraduate-level mathematics and experience with basic computer operations
Duration: 3 days
