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I created an ellipse visualizer in #MATLAB using App Designer! To read more about it, and how it ties to the recent total solar eclipse, check out my latest blog post:
https://www.davidyding.com/navPages/Ellipse
Github Repo of the app (you can open it on MATLAB Online!):
https://github.com/dvfire123/EllipseVisualizer/tree/main
Hey MATLAB Community! 🌟
As we continue to explore, learn, and innovate together, it's essential to take a moment to recognize the remarkable contributions that have sparked engaging discussions, solved perplexing problems, and shared insightful knowledge in the past two weeks. Let's dive into the highlights that have made our community even more vibrant and resourceful.

Interesting Questions

How to Fix "Warning: Colon operands must be real scalars" Warning by Burhan Burak
Burhan Burak brings up an intriguing issue faced when running certain code in MATLAB, seeking advice on how to refactor the code to eliminate a warning message. It's a great example of the practical challenges we often encounter
How to fix my linear fit model? by Jenni
Jenni asks for guidance on improving linear models to fit data points more accurately. This question highlights the common hurdles in data analysis and model fitting, sparking a conversation on best practices and methodologies.

Popular Discussions

Which of the following produces a false value? by goc3
A thought-provoking question posed by goc3 that delves into the intricacies of MATLAB's logical operations. It's a great discussion starter that tests and expands our understanding of MATLAB's behavior.
[Visualization] Jobs advertised on Linkedin for Matlab per country or state by Toshiaki Takeuchi
Toshiaki Takeuchi shares an insightful visualization of the demand for MATLAB jobs across different regions, based on data from LinkedIn. This post not only provides a snapshot of the job market but also encourages members to discuss trends in MATLAB's use in the industry.

From the Blogs

Two of my ‘White Whale’ features have been added to MATLAB R2024a by Mike Croucher
Mike Croucher shares his excitement and insights on two long-awaited features finally making their way into MATLAB R2024a. His post reflects the passion and persistence of our community members in enhancing MATLAB's functionality.
Tips on Accelerating Deep Learning Training by Sivylla Paraskevopoulou
In this informative post, Sivylla Paraskevopoulou offers practical tips for speeding up the training of deep learning models. It's a must-read for anyone looking to optimize their deep learning workflows.
A Heartfelt Thank You 🙏
To everyone who asked a question, started a discussion, or wrote a blog post: Thank you! Your contributions are what make our community a fountain of knowledge, inspiration, and innovation. Let's keep the momentum going and continue to support each other in our journey to explore the vast universe of MATLAB.
Happy Coding!
Note: If you haven't yet, make sure to check out these highlights and add your voice to our growing community. Your insights and experiences are what make us stronger.
Congratulations, @Fangjun Jiang for achieving 10K reputation points.
You reached this milestone by providing valuable contribution to the community since you started answering questions in Since September 2011.
You were very active in the first year, and took some break, but you steadily rose ranks in the recent years to achieve this milestone.
You provided 3954 answers and received 1503 votes. You are ranked #25 in the community. Thank you for your contribution to the community and please keep up the good track record!
MATLAB Central Team
In honor of National Pet Day on April 11th, we're excited to announce a fun contest that combines two of our favorite things: our beloved pets and our passion for MATLAB/Simulink! Whether you're a cat enthusiast, a dog lover, or a companion to any other pet, we invite you to join in the fun and showcase your creativity.
How to Participate:
  • Take a photo of your pet featuring any element of MATLAB/Simulink.
  • Post it in the Fun channel of the Discussions area.
  • Include a brief description or story behind the photo - we love to hear about your pets and your creative process!
🏆 Prizes:
We will be selecting 3 winners for this contest, and each winner will receive a MathWorks T-shirt or hat! Winners will be chosen based on creativity, originality, and how well they incorporate the MATLAB/Simulink element into their photo.
📅Important Dates:
Contest ends on April 12th, 2024, at 11:59:59 pm, Eastern Time
We can't wait to see all of your adorable and creative pet photos. Let's celebrate National Pet Day in true MathWorks style. Good luck, and most importantly, have fun!
Chen Lin
Chen Lin
Last activity on 12 Apr 2024

Spring is on the way!

What's the weather like in your place?
I'm excited to share some valuable resources that I've found to be incredibly helpful for anyone looking to enhance their MATLAB skills. Whether you're just starting out, studying as a student, or are a seasoned professional, these guides and books offer a wealth of information to aid in your learning journey.
Matlab Books
INTRODUCTION TO MATLAB FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS
A Guide to MATLAB
MATLAB® Notes for Professionals book
These materials are freely available and can be a great addition to your learning resources. They cover a wide range of topics and are designed to help users at all levels to improve their proficiency in MATLAB.
Happy learning and I hope you find these resources as useful as I have!
I found this link posted on Reddit.
https://workhunty.com/job-blog/where-is-the-best-place-to-be-a-programmer/Matlab/
MatGPT was launched on March 22, 2023 and I am amazed at how many times it has been downloaded since then - close to 16,000 downloads in one year. When AI Chat Playground came out on MATLAB Central, I thought surely that people will stop using MatGPT. Boy I was wrong.
In early 2023 I was playing with the new shiny toy called ChatGPT like everyone else but instead of having it tell me jokes or haiku, I wanted to know how I can use it on MATLAB, and I started collecting the prompts that worked. Someone suggested I should turn that into an app, and MatGPT was born with help from other colleagues.
Here is the question - what should I do with it now? Some people suggested I could add other LLMs like Gemini or Claude, but I am more interested in learning how people actually use it.
If you are a MatGPT user, do you mind sharing how you use the app?
Let S be the closed surface composed of the hemisphere and the base Let be the electric field defined by . Find the electric flux through S. (Hint: Divide S into two parts and calculate ).
% Define the limits of integration for the hemisphere S1
theta_lim = [-pi/2, pi/2];
phi_lim = [0, pi/2];
% Perform the double integration over the spherical surface of the hemisphere S1
% Define the electric flux function for the hemisphere S1
flux_function_S1 = @(theta, phi) 2 * sin(phi);
electric_flux_S1 = integral2(flux_function_S1, theta_lim(1), theta_lim(2), phi_lim(1), phi_lim(2));
% For the base of the hemisphere S2, the electric flux is 0 since the electric
% field has no z-component at the base
electric_flux_S2 = 0;
% Calculate the total electric flux through the closed surface S
total_electric_flux = electric_flux_S1 + electric_flux_S2;
% Display the flux calculations
disp(['Electric flux through the hemisphere S1: ', num2str(electric_flux_S1)]);
disp(['Electric flux through the base of the hemisphere S2: ', num2str(electric_flux_S2)]);
disp(['Total electric flux through the closed surface S: ', num2str(total_electric_flux)]);
% Parameters for the plot
radius = 1; % Radius of the hemisphere
% Create a meshgrid for theta and phi for the plot
[theta, phi] = meshgrid(linspace(theta_lim(1), theta_lim(2), 20), linspace(phi_lim(1), phi_lim(2), 20));
% Calculate Cartesian coordinates for the points on the hemisphere
x = radius * sin(phi) .* cos(theta);
y = radius * sin(phi) .* sin(theta);
z = radius * cos(phi);
% Define the electric field components
Ex = 2 * x;
Ey = 2 * y;
Ez = 2 * z;
% Plot the hemisphere
figure;
surf(x, y, z, 'FaceAlpha', 0.5, 'EdgeColor', 'none');
hold on;
% Plot the electric field vectors
quiver3(x, y, z, Ex, Ey, Ez, 'r');
% Plot the base of the hemisphere
[x_base, y_base] = meshgrid(linspace(-radius, radius, 20), linspace(-radius, radius, 20));
z_base = zeros(size(x_base));
surf(x_base, y_base, z_base, 'FaceColor', 'cyan', 'FaceAlpha', 0.3);
% Additional plot settings
colormap('cool');
axis equal;
grid on;
xlabel('X');
ylabel('Y');
zlabel('Z');
title('Hemisphere and Electric Field');
David
David
Last activity on 2 Apr 2024

Ghost page

I feel like no one at UC San Diego knows this page, let alone this server, is still live. For the younger generation, this is what the whole internet used to look like :)
http://www-pord.ucsd.edu/matlab/
In short: support varying color in at least the plot, plot3, fplot, and fplot3 functions.
This has been a thing that's come up quite a few times, and includes questions/requests by users, workarounds by the community, and workarounds presented by MathWorks -- examples of each below. It's a feature that exists in Python's Matplotlib library and Sympy. Anyways, given that there are myriads of workarounds, it appears to be one of the most common requests for Matlab plots (Matlab's plotting is, IMO, one of the best features of the product), the request precedes the 21st century, and competitive tools provide the functionality, it would seem to me that this might be the next great feature for Matlab plotting.
I'm curious to get the rest of the community's thoughts... what's everyone else think about this?
---
User questions/requests
User-provided workarounds
MathWorks-provided workarounds
isempty( [ ] )
10%
isempty( { } )
13%
isempty( '' ) % 2 single quotes
13%
isempty( "" ) % 2 double quotes
24%
c = categorical( [ ] ); isempty(c)
18%
s = struct("a", [ ] ); isempty(s.a)
22%
1324 votes
David
David
Last activity on 1 Apr 2024

Prompts Matter

I was in a meeting the other day and a coworker shared a smiley face they created using the AI Chat Playground. The image looked something like this:
And I suspect the prompt they used was something like this:
"Create a smiley face"
I imagine this output wasn't what my coworker had expected so he was left thinking that this was as good as it gets without manually editing the code, and that the AI Chat Playground couldn't do any better.
I thought I could get a better result using the Playground so I tried a more detailed prompt using a multi-step technique like this:
"Follow these instructions:
- Create code that plots a circle
- Create two smaller circles as eyes within the first circle
- Create an arc that looks like a smile in the lower part of the first circle"
The output of this prompt was better in my opinion.
These queries/prompts are examples of 'zero-shot' prompts, the expectation being a good result with just one query. As opposed to a back-and-forth chat session working towards a desired outcome.
I wonder how many attempts everyone tries before they decide they can't anything more from the AI/LLM. There are times I'll send dozens of chat queries if I feel like I'm getting close to my goal, while other times I'll try just one or two. One thing I always find useful is seeing how others interact with AI models, which is what inspired me to share this.
Does anyone have examples of techniques that work well? I find multi-step instructions often produces good results.
Toshiaki Takeuchi
Toshiaki Takeuchi
Last activity on 1 Apr 2024

Live Script Closed Beta

Looking for 10 candidates for a closed beta on new MATLAB live script features.
Do you use live scripts regularly in MATLAB? Do you collaborate with others using live scripts?
MathWorks is looking for 10 candidates for a closed beta on new features for live scripts. Help us develop exciting new features with your feedback.
Please apply via this web form. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TTComm
If you are selected, you will receive an email invitation to sign an NDA
I will post here when the quota is filled
The image was created with DALL-E 3.
Hello, brilliant minds of our engineering community!
We hope this message finds you in the midst of an exciting project or, perhaps, deep in the realms of a challenging problem, because we've got some groundbreaking news that might just make your day a whole lot more interesting.
🎉 Introducing PreAnswer AI - The Future of Community Support! 🎉
Have you ever found yourself pondering over a complex problem, wishing for an answer to magically appear before you even finish formulating the question? Well, wish no more! The MathWorks team, in collaboration with the most imaginative minds from the realms of science fiction, is thrilled to announce the launch of PreAnswer AI, an unprecedented feature set to revolutionize the way we interact within our MATLAB and Simulink community.
What is PreAnswer AI?
PreAnswer AI is our latest AI-driven initiative designed to answer your questions before you even ask them. Yes, you read that right! Through a combination of predictive analytics, machine learning, and a pinch of engineering wizardry, PreAnswer AI anticipates the challenges you're facing and provides you with solutions, insights, and code snippets in real-time.
How Does It Work?
  • Presentiment Algorithms: By simply logging into MATLAB Central, our AI begins to analyze your recent coding patterns, activity, and even the intensity of your keyboard strokes to understand your current state of mind.
  • Predictive Insights: Using a complex algorithm, affectionately dubbed "The Oracle", PreAnswer AI predicts the questions you're likely to ask and compiles comprehensive answers from our vast database of resources.
  • Efficiency and Speed: Imagine the time saved when the answers to your questions are already waiting for you. PreAnswer AI ensures you spend more time innovating and less time searching for solutions.
We are on the cusp of deploying PreAnswer AI in a beta phase and are eager for you to be among the first to experience its benefits. Your feedback will be invaluable as we refine this feature to better suit our community's needs.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Spoiler, it's April 1st if you hadn't noticed. While we might not (yet) have the technology to read minds or predict the future, we do have an incredible community filled with knowledgeable, supportive members ready to tackle any question you throw their way.
Let's continue to collaborate, innovate, and solve complex problems together, proving that while AI can do many things, the power of a united community of brilliant minds is truly unmatched.
Thank you for being such a fantastic part of our community. Here's to many more questions, answers, and shared laughs along the way.
Happy April Fools' Day!
Hans Scharler
Hans Scharler
Last activity on 29 Mar 2024

500k YouTube Subscribers!

More than 500,000 people have subscribed to the MATLAB channel. MathWorks would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to watch one of our videos, leave us a comment, or share our videos with others. Together we’re accelerating the pace of engineering and science.
https://www.youtube.com/@MATLAB
Hannah
Hannah
Last activity on 1 Apr 2024

Solar Eclipse

Although, I think I will only get to see a partial eclipse (April 8th!) from where I am at in the U.S. I will always have MATLAB to make my own solar eclipse. Just as good as the real thing.
Code (found on the @MATLAB instagram)
a=716;
v=255;
X=linspace(-10,10,a);
[~,r]=cart2pol(X,X');
colormap(gray.*[1 .78 .3]);
[t,g]=cart2pol(X+2.6,X'+1.4);
image(rescale(-1*(2*sin(t*10)+60*g.^.2),0,v))
hold on
h=exp(-(r-3)).*abs(ifft2(r.^-1.8.*cos(7*rand(a))));
h(r<3)=0;
image(v*ones(a),'AlphaData',rescale(h,0,1))
camva(3.8)
One of the privileges of working at MathWorks is that I get to hang out with some really amazing people. Steve Eddins, of ‘Steve on Image Processing’ fame is one of those people. He recently announced his retirement and before his final day, I got the chance to interview him. See what he had to say over at The MATLAB Blog The Steve Eddins Interview: 30 years of MathWorking
Before we begin, you will need to make sure you have 'sir_age_model.m' installed. Once you've downloaded this folder into your working directory, which can be located at your current folder. If you can see this file in your current folder, then it's safe to use it. If you choose to use MATLAB online or MATLAB Mobile, you may upload this to your MATLAB Drive.
This is the code for the SIR model stratified into 2 age groups (children and adults). For a detailed explanation of how to derive the force of infection by age group.
% Main script to run the SIR model simulation
% Initial state values
initial_state_values = [200000; 1; 0; 800000; 0; 0]; % [S1; I1; R1; S2; I2; R2]
% Parameters
parameters = [0.05; 7; 6; 1; 10; 1/5]; % [b; c_11; c_12; c_21; c_22; gamma]
% Time span for the simulation (3 months, with daily steps)
tspan = [0 90];
% Solve the ODE
[t, y] = ode45(@(t, y) sir_age_model(t, y, parameters), tspan, initial_state_values);
% Plotting the results
plot(t, y);
xlabel('Time (days)');
ylabel('Number of people');
legend('S1', 'I1', 'R1', 'S2', 'I2', 'R2');
title('SIR Model with Age Structure');
What was the cumulative incidence of infection during this epidemic? What proportion of those infections occurred in children?
In the SIR model, the cumulative incidence of infection is simply the decline in susceptibility.
% Assuming 'y' contains the simulation results from the ode45 function
% and 't' contains the time points
% Total cumulative incidence
total_cumulative_incidence = (y(1,1) - y(end,1)) + (y(1,4) - y(end,4));
fprintf('Total cumulative incidence: %f\n', total_cumulative_incidence);
% Cumulative incidence in children
cumulative_incidence_children = (y(1,1) - y(end,1));
% Proportion of infections in children
proportion_infections_children = cumulative_incidence_children / total_cumulative_incidence;
fprintf('Proportion of infections in children: %f\n', proportion_infections_children);
927,447 people became infected during this epidemic, 20.5% of which were children.
Which age group was most affected by the epidemic?
To answer this, we can calculate the proportion of children and adults that became infected.
% Assuming 'y' contains the simulation results from the ode45 function
% and 't' contains the time points
% Proportion of children that became infected
initial_children = 200000; % initial number of susceptible children
final_susceptible_children = y(end,1); % final number of susceptible children
proportion_infected_children = (initial_children - final_susceptible_children) / initial_children;
fprintf('Proportion of children that became infected: %f\n', proportion_infected_children);
% Proportion of adults that became infected
initial_adults = 800000; % initial number of susceptible adults
final_susceptible_adults = y(end,4); % final number of susceptible adults
proportion_infected_adults = (initial_adults - final_susceptible_adults) / initial_adults;
fprintf('Proportion of adults that became infected: %f\n', proportion_infected_adults);
Throughout this epidemic, 95% of all children and 92% of all adults were infected. Children were therefore slightly more affected in proportion to their population size, even though the majority of infections occurred in adults.
Are you going to be in the path of totality? How can you predict, track, and simulate the solar eclipse using MATLAB?