Computer Programming with Matlab

By J. Michael Fitzpatrick & Akos Ledeczi

Computer Programming with Matlab - J. Michael Fitzpatrick & Akos Ledeczi
  • Release Date: 2015-06-16
  • Genre: Software
Score: 4
4
From 33 Ratings

Description

The primary purpose of this book is to teach computer programming to those with little to no previous experience. It uses the programming system and language called MATLAB to do so because MATLAB is easy to learn and, at the same time, is an extremely versatile and useful programming language and programming environment. MATLAB is a special-purpose language that is an excellent choice for writing moderate-size programs that solve problems involving the manipulation of numbers. The design of the language makes it possible to write a powerful program in a few lines. The problems may be relatively complex, while the MATLAB programs that solve them are relatively simple: relative, that is, to the equivalent program written in a general-purpose language, such as C++ or Java. As a result, MATLAB is being used in a wide variety of domains from the natural sciences through all disciplines of engineering to finance and beyond, and it is heavily used in industry. Hence, a solid background in MATLAB is an indispensable skill in today’s job market.
Nevertheless, this book is not merely a reference manual for MATLAB or a MATLAB tutorial. It is an introductory programming textbook that happens to use MATLAB to illustrate general concepts in computer science and programming. As a side effect, the reader will gain a solid foundation in MATLAB. This book is a good fit for an introductory college-level course in computer programming for engineering and science students. In fact, it is being used as the textbook for such a course at Vanderbilt University. It serves the dual purpose of teaching computer programming and providing a background in MATLAB, which is used in higher-level courses in many majors. This book is also suitable to teach programming to high school students. The material assumes no background in mathematics that is not part of standard high school curricula, and MATLAB is much more accessible as an introduction to programming to the average student than Java, C, C++, or other general-purpose languages.

Reviews

  • book is suspect

    1
    By Dave9998
    All of the reviews are written on or near the same day. One review offers advise to keep the paragraphs short? C'mon! Its clear that the writers are gaming the reviews to get a high rating. The book is suspect if people have to resort to such BS to fake a rating.
  • CS103- Great Book

    5
    By Frog938493473977
    This book was extremely helpful and got me through my MATLAB course at Vanderbilt. I love the simple and easy-to-follow explanations. Nothing is left up in the air. The interactions with the software are clean-cut, elegant and easy to use. I like the sample problems, but it would be nice if there were a few more of each, with similar goals, but some details changed, just for the sake of extra practice.
  • Fantastic!

    5
    By nadiahn3
    This book provides the necessary tools for basic computer programming in MATLAB. It's also fun to read and very clear with its step-by-step explanations. Thumbs up! :)
  • Great for beginners

    5
    By madmccoy
    This book is very helpful for people using MATLAB for the first time. It approaches aspects of MATLAB in a logical manner, and I learned a lot from its examples and definitions.
  • Awesome!

    5
    By dstubbs17
    Great Read! Easy to follow for new programmers and can even teach seasoned programmers a few new tricks. Well worth the few dollars for anyone with an interest in programming.
  • Very Useful

    5
    By brittanylenise
    This textbook is very helpful and explains concepts in a way that is easy to understand. There is even a sense of humor throughout the text that I personally appreciated. The practice problems at the end of each chapter were a bit difficult at times, but had step by step answers linked to them and really helped me ace the class.
  • CS textbook

    5
    By ZacharyTaylor
    It was very well organized and helpful. The example problems mixed in with the text helped me to understand the concepts
  • Very Effective Textbook

    5
    By dbdover16
    This is the first edition, so there are a fair number of small errors, mostly just minor grammatical sleights. The authors seem to be actively working to find these errors, and most of them will disappear by the next edition. Most importantly, this book makes learning Matlab simple. The Matlab language has some quirks, and the book does a great job of explaining them. The book reads as easily as possible given the content, and is a great tool.
  • INCREDIBLE BOOK

    5
    By bmilik
    This book was extremely helpful. The first half of the semester was taught by a bad professor, and this book was all I had. In the second half, the author of the book taught and was much better. Still, the book was an invaluable resource because it explained things clearly and in non-computer language. It provides simple as well as challenging problems and concepts for a wide range of users. AWESOME
  • Really Great

    5
    By GirlsInPhysics
    I really enjoyed this textbook. The examples started out simple and easy to understand and progressed to more challenging throughout each chapter. I found this approach helpful. The commentary throughout was fun, and the functions at the back fo the chapter really helped me practice the concepts. It was nice that half the solutions were easily accessible online, unlike most textbooks. The graphics and images were also really great and easy to understand. Lastly, I appreciated the computer version of the textbook. Instead of weighing a hundred pounds I could easily carry around my computer instead. Overall very nice! Made my class much more enjoyable.