Introduction to MATLAB MATLAB (MATrix LABoratory) is a fourth-generation high-level programming language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization and programming. MATLAB is developed by MathWorks. It allows matrix manipulations; plotting of functions and data; implementation of algorithms; creation of user interfaces; interfacing with programs written in other languages, including C, C++, Java, and FORTRAN; analyze data; develop algorithms; and create models and applications. It has numerous built-in commands and math functions that help you in mathematical calculations, generating plots, and performing numerical methods. Uses of MATLAB MATLAB is widely used as a computational tool in science and engineering encompassing the fields of physics, chemistry, math and all engineering streams. It is used in a range of applications including: Signal processing and Communications Image and video Processing Control systems Test and measurement Computational finance Computational biology Algorithm development Data acquisition Modeling, simulation, and prototyping Data analysis, exploration, and visualization Scientific and engineering graphics Application development, including graphical user interface building