MATLAB/Octave — Scientific Computing

Overview

MATLAB is a numerical computing environment optimized for matrix operations and scientific computing. GNU Octave is a free, open-source alternative with high compatibility. All code examples use MATLAB syntax that runs on both platforms.

When to Use

• Performing matrix operations and linear algebra (eigenvalues, SVD, least squares)
• Solving ordinary and partial differential equations numerically
• Signal processing (FFT, filtering, spectral analysis)
• Creating 2D/3D scientific visualizations and publication figures
• Numerical optimization and root finding
• Statistical analysis and curve fitting
• Batch processing of experimental data files
• For Python-based numerical computing, use numpy/scipy instead
• For statistical modeling with inference, use statsmodels instead

Prerequisites