Introduce the MATLAB language to your students and show how to use it to solve typical problems with the very successful ESSENTIALS OF MATLAB® PROGRAMMING, 3E. Author Stephen Chapman emphasizes problem-solving skills throughout this edition as he presents MATLAB as a technical programming language. The book clearly shows students how to write clean, efficient and well-documented programs, while simultaneously introducing them to many of the practical functions of MATLAB. The first seven chapters are ideal for an “Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving” course for freshman engineering students. The last two chapters address more advanced topics of additional data types and plot types, cell arrays, structures, and new MATLAB handle graphics.

1. INTRODUCTION TO MATLAB.
The Advantages of MATLAB. Disadvantages of MATLAB. The MATLAB Environment. Using MATLAB as a Calculator. Summary. Exercises.
2. MATLAB BASICS.
Variables and Arrays. Creating and Initializing Variables in MATLAB. Multidimensional Arrays. Subarrays. Special Values. Displaying Output Data. Data Files.
Scalar and Array Operations. Hierarchy of Operations. Built-in MATLAB Functions. Introduction to Plotting. Examples. Debugging MATLAB Programs. Summary. Exercises.
3. TWO-DIMENSIONAL PLOTS.
Additional Plotting Features for Two-Dimensional Plots. Polar Plots. Annotating and Saving Plots. Additional Types of Two-Dimensional Plots. Using the plot function with Two-Dimensional Arrays. Summary. Exercises.
4. BRANCHING STATEMENTS AND PROGRAM DESIGN.
Introduction to Top-Down Design Techniques. Use of Pseudocode. The Logical Data Type. Branches. More on Debugging MATLAB Programs. Summary. Exercises.
5. LOOPS AND VECTORIZATION.
The while Loop. The for Loop Logical Arrays and Vectorization. The MATLAB Profiler. Additional Examples. The textread Function. Summary. Exercises.
6. BASIC USER-DEFINED FUNCTIONS.
Introduction to MATLAB Functions. Variable Passing in MATLAB: The Pass-By-Value Scheme. Optional Arguments. Sharing Data Using Global Memory. Preserving Data Between Calls to a Function. Built-in MATLAB Functions: Sorting Functions. Built-in MATLAB Functions: Random Number Functions. Summary. Exercises.
7. ADVANCED FEATURES OF USER-DEFINED FUNCTIONS.
Function Functions. Local Functions, Private Functions, and Nested Functions. Function Handles. Anonymous Functions. Recursive Functions. Plotting Functions. Histograms. Summary. Exercises.
8. ADDITIONAL DATA TYPES AND PLOT TYPES.
Complex Data. Strings and String Functions. Multidimensional Arrays. Three-Dimensional Plots. Summary. Exercises.
9. CELL ARRAYS, STRUCTURES, AND HANDLE GRAPHICS.
Cell Arrays. Structure Arrays. Handle Graphics. Position and Units. Printer Positions. Default and Factory Properties. Graphics Object Properties. Summary. Exercises.
Appendix A: UTF-8 Character Set.
Appendix B: MATLAB Input / Output Functions.
Appendix C: Answers to Quizzes.

Introduce the MATLAB language to your students and show how to use it to solve typical problems with the very successful ESSENTIALS OF MATLAB® PROGRAMMING, 3E. Author Stephen Chapman emphasizes problem-solving skills throughout this edition as he presents MATLAB as a technical programming language. The book clearly shows students how to write clean, efficient and well-documented programs, while simultaneously introducing them to many of the practical functions of MATLAB. The first seven chapters are ideal for an “Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving” course for freshman engineering students. The last two chapters address more advanced topics of additional data types and plot types, cell arrays, structures, and new MATLAB handle graphics. REVISIONS REFLECT THE LATEST MATLAB FUNCTIONS. Students leave your course prepared to work with the latest changes in MATLAB, such as the new “legend” options and the tools to easily remove descriptions of deprecated features. NEW CONTENT INTRODUCES THE OBJECT-STYLE APPROACH TO ADDRESSING GRAPHICS PROPERTIES. This edition clearly teaches students how to master object-oriented approach while also maintaining a description of the older keyword-value approach. CONCISE PRESENTATIONS CONCENTRATE ON THE MOST USEFUL FEATURES OF MATLAB. This brief text focuses on features that most users need in their daily tasks. Advanced capabilities, such as MATLAB GUIs and object-oriented programming, are excluded from this concise book to keep the length and cost reasonable. (These topics are covered thoroughly in the larger version of this book: MATLAB® PROGRAMMING FOR ENGINEERS.) SHORTER EARLIER CHAPTERS PRESENT CONCEPTS IN MANAGEABLE SEGMENTS. The author has separated important topics in this edition to help students absorb the material in more bite-sized chunks. Branches and loops are now each addressed in their own chapters, while the discussion of functions is divided into two chapters. NEW CHAPTER 3 IS DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY TO 2D PLOTS. The author has collected and placed all of the plotting information in a single place to ensure student comprehension. CHAPTER 8 NOW OFFERS MORE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE OF 3D PLOTS. Students who are ready to take their understanding of 3D Plots to the next level can now find additional explanations and depth of coverage within this chapter. BRIEF VERSION HIGHLIGHTS THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF USING MATLAB. This concise, streamlined text emphasizes the MATLAB skills students are most likely to use on a daily basis, while still emphasizing MATLAB’s use as a programming language. PRESENTATION TEACHES THE PROPER USE OF MATLAB’S BUILT IN TOOLS. Students leave your course equipped to complete more efficient programming and debugging. MATERIAL EMPHASIZES METHODS FOR EFFICIENTLY LOCATING DESIRED FUNCTIONS WITHIN MATLAB. In addition to teaching key features of MATLAB, this brief text places important emphasis on teaching students where to find the functions that they need within the MATLAB platform.