Browse Definitions :
Definition

MATLAB

WhatIs.com
Contributor(s): Matthew Haughn

MATLAB is a fourth-generation programming language and numerical analysis environment.

Uses for MATLAB include matrix calculations, developing and running algorithms, creating user interfaces (UI) and data visualization. The multi-paradigm numerical computing environment allows developers to interface with programs developed in different languages, which makes it possible to harness the unique strengths of each language for various purposes.

MATLAB is used by engineers and scientists in many fields such as image and signal processing, communications, control systems for industry, smart grid design, robotics as well as computational finance.

Cleve Moler, a professor of Computer Science at the University of New Mexico, created MATLAB in the 1970s to help his students. MATLAB's commercial potential was identified by visiting engineer Jack little in 1983. Moler, Little and Steve Bangart founded MathWorks and rewrote MATLAB in C under the auspices of their new company in 1984.

Watch a Lego Mindstorms robot solve a Rubik's Cube using MATLAB and Simulink:

This was last updated in April 2015

Continue Reading About MATLAB

Join the conversation

1 comment

Send me notifications when other members comment.

Register

Please create a username to comment.

I remember using MATLAB in college.  It is very powerful and is useful for more than just 'basic graphs and analysis'.  In one class we used it to take different audio files, perform all kinds of data transformations, tie them all together and then share them.  It was very cool..

I only wish it was more than just a lab tool.
Cancel

SearchCompliance

  • risk assessment

    Risk assessment is the identification of hazards that could negatively impact an organization's ability to conduct business.

  • PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

    The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a widely accepted set of policies and procedures intended to ...

  • risk management

    Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and controlling threats to an organization's capital and earnings.

SearchSecurity

SearchHealthIT

SearchDisasterRecovery

  • call tree

    A call tree is a layered hierarchical communication model that is used to notify specific individuals of an event and coordinate ...

  • Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

    Disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) is the replication and hosting of physical or virtual servers by a third party to provide ...

  • cloud disaster recovery (cloud DR)

    Cloud disaster recovery (cloud DR) is a combination of strategies and services intended to back up data, applications and other ...

SearchStorage

  • RAM (Random Access Memory)

    RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in a computing device where the operating system (OS), application programs and data ...

  • business impact analysis (BIA)

    Business impact analysis (BIA) is a systematic process to determine and evaluate the potential effects of an interruption to ...

  • M.2 SSD

    An M.2 SSD is a solid-state drive that is used in internally mounted storage expansion cards of a small form factor.

Close