mcpbeat

Matlab Scientific Computing

jaechang-hits/matlab-scientific-computing

MATLAB/GNU Octave numerical computing: matrices, linear algebra, ODEs, signal processing, optimization, statistics, scientific visualization. MATLAB-syntax examples run on both. For Python use numpy/scipy; for statistical modeling use statsmodels.

4k tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
294
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills --skill matlab-scientific-computing

The instruction itself

31 sections, as written by the author

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

# GNU Octave (free, open-source)
# macOS
brew install octave
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install octave

# Running scripts
octave script.m                           # Octave
matlab -nodisplay -nosplash -r "run('script.m'); exit;"  # MATLAB

Note: MATLAB requires a commercial license from MathWorks. GNU Octave is free and runs most MATLAB scripts without modification. Key Octave differences: supports # comments, ++/+= operators; some MATLAB toolbox functions unavailable.

Quick Start

% Load data, fit, and plot
x = linspace(0, 2*pi, 100);
y = sin(x) + 0.1 * randn(size(x));
p = polyfit(x, y, 5);
y_fit = polyval(p, x);

figure;
plot(x, y, 'bo', x, y_fit, 'r-', 'LineWidth', 2);
xlabel('x'); ylabel('y');
legend('Data', 'Polynomial fit');
title('Curve Fitting Example');
saveas(gcf, 'fit_result.png');

Core API

1. Matrix Operations

MATLAB operates fundamentally on matrices and arrays.

% Create matrices
A = [1 2 3; 4 5 6; 7 8 9];    % 3x3 matrix
v = linspace(0, 1, 100);       % 100 evenly spaced points
I = eye(3);                     % Identity matrix
R = rand(3, 3);                 % Uniform random
N = randn(3, 3);                % Normal random

% Operations
B = A';                  % Transpose
C = A * B;               % Matrix multiplication
D = A .* B;              % Element-wise multiplication
x = A \ [1; 2; 3];      % Solve Ax = b (preferred over inv(A)*b)
fprintf('Solution: [%.2f, %.2f, %.2f]\n', x);
% Indexing and manipulation
A = magic(5);
sub = A(1:3, 2:4);      % Submatrix (rows 1-3, cols 2-4)
row = A(2, :);           % Entire row 2
col = A(:, 3);           % Entire column 3
A(A < 5) = 0;           % Logical indexing

% Concatenation
C = [A; ones(1, 5)];    % Vertical (add row)
D = [A, zeros(5, 1)];   % Horizontal (add column)
fprintf('Size: %d x %d\n', size(C));

2. Linear Algebra

A = [4 1 2; 1 3 1; 2 1 5];

% Eigendecomposition
[V, D] = eig(A);           % V: eigenvectors, D: diagonal eigenvalues
fprintf('Eigenvalues: %.2f, %.2f, %.2f\n', diag(D));

% Singular value decomposition
[U, S, V] = svd(A);
fprintf('Singular values: %.2f, %.2f, %.2f\n', diag(S));

% Matrix decompositions
[L, U, P] = lu(A);         % LU with pivoting
[Q, R] = qr(A);            % QR decomposition
R_chol = chol(A);           % Cholesky (symmetric positive definite)

% Condition number and rank
fprintf('Condition number: %.2f\n', cond(A));
fprintf('Rank: %d\n', rank(A));

3. Plotting and Visualization

% 2D line plots
x = 0:0.1:2*pi;
figure;
plot(x, sin(x), 'b-', 'LineWidth', 2); hold on;
plot(x, cos(x), 'r--', 'LineWidth', 2);
xlabel('x'); ylabel('y');
title('Trigonometric Functions');
legend('sin(x)', 'cos(x)');
grid on;
saveas(gcf, 'trig.png');
% 3D surface plot
[X, Y] = meshgrid(-2:0.1:2, -2:0.1:2);
Z = X.^2 + Y.^2;
figure;
surf(X, Y, Z);
colorbar; xlabel('X'); ylabel('Y'); zlabel('Z');
title('Paraboloid');
print('-dpdf', 'surface.pdf');
% Multi-panel figure
figure;
subplot(2, 2, 1); plot(x, sin(x)); title('sin');
subplot(2, 2, 2); plot(x, cos(x)); title('cos');
subplot(2, 2, 3); bar([1 3 2 5 4]); title('Bar');
subplot(2, 2, 4); histogram(randn(1000, 1), 30); title('Histogram');
saveas(gcf, 'panels.png');

4. Data Import/Export

% CSV / tabular data
T = readtable('data.csv');
M = readmatrix('data.csv');
fprintf('Table: %d rows x %d cols\n', height(T), width(T));

% Write data
writetable(T, 'output.csv');
writematrix(M, 'output.csv');

% MAT files (MATLAB native binary)
A = rand(100, 100);
save('data.mat', 'A');          % Save variable
S = load('data.mat', 'A');     % Load specific variable

% Images
img = imread('image.png');
fprintf('Image size: %d x %d x %d\n', size(img));
imwrite(img, 'output.jpg');

5. Statistics and Data Analysis

data = randn(1000, 1) * 5 + 50;

% Descriptive statistics
fprintf('Mean: %.2f, Std: %.2f, Median: %.2f\n', mean(data), std(data), median(data));
fprintf('Min: %.2f, Max: %.2f\n', min(data), max(data));

% Correlation and covariance
X = randn(100, 3);
R = corrcoef(X);
fprintf('Correlation matrix:\n');
disp(R);

% Linear regression (polyfit)
x = (1:50)';
y = 2.5 * x + 10 + randn(50, 1) * 5;
p = polyfit(x, y, 1);
fprintf('Slope: %.2f, Intercept: %.2f\n', p(1), p(2));

% Moving statistics
y_smooth = movmean(y, 5);

6. Differential Equations

% First-order ODE: dy/dt = -2y, y(0) = 1
f = @(t, y) -2 * y;
[t, y] = ode45(f, [0 5], 1);
figure; plot(t, y, 'b-', 'LineWidth', 2);
xlabel('Time'); ylabel('y(t)');
title('Exponential Decay');
fprintf('Final value: %.4f (expected: %.4f)\n', y(end), exp(-10));
% Second-order ODE: y'' + 0.5y' + 4y = 0 (damped oscillator)
% Convert to system: y1' = y2, y2' = -0.5*y2 - 4*y1
f = @(t, y) [y(2); -0.5*y(2) - 4*y(1)];
[t, y] = ode45(f, [0 20], [1; 0]);
figure; plot(t, y(:,1), 'b-', 'LineWidth', 2);
xlabel('Time'); ylabel('Displacement');
title('Damped Oscillator');

7. Signal Processing

% Generate signal with two frequencies
fs = 1000;                       % Sampling frequency
t = 0:1/fs:1-1/fs;
signal = sin(2*pi*50*t) + 0.5*sin(2*pi*120*t) + randn(size(t))*0.2;

% FFT
Y = fft(signal);
f = (0:length(Y)-1) * fs / length(Y);
figure;
plot(f(1:length(f)/2), abs(Y(1:length(Y)/2)));
xlabel('Frequency (Hz)'); ylabel('|FFT|');
title('Frequency Spectrum');
% FIR low-pass filter (keep < 80 Hz)
b = fir1(50, 80/(fs/2));          % 50th order, cutoff 80 Hz
filtered = filter(b, 1, signal);
figure;
plot(t, signal, 'b', t, filtered, 'r', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
legend('Original', 'Filtered');
title('Low-pass Filtering');

8. Functions and Programming

% Anonymous functions
f = @(x) x.^2 + 2*x + 1;
fprintf('f(5) = %d\n', f(5));   % 36

% Function files (save as myfunc.m)
% function [rmse, r2] = myfunc(y_true, y_pred)
%     residuals = y_true - y_pred;
%     rmse = sqrt(mean(residuals.^2));
%     ss_res = sum(residuals.^2);
%     ss_tot = sum((y_true - mean(y_true)).^2);
%     r2 = 1 - ss_res / ss_tot;
% end

% Struct for organized data
experiment.name = 'Trial 1';
experiment.data = rand(10, 3);
experiment.params = struct('temp', 37, 'pH', 7.4);
fprintf('Experiment: %s, %d samples\n', experiment.name, size(experiment.data, 1));

Key Concepts

Vectorization

MATLAB is optimized for vectorized operations. Avoid explicit loops when possible:

% Slow (loop)
n = 1e6;
y = zeros(1, n);
tic;
for i = 1:n
    y(i) = sin(i/1000);
end
t_loop = toc;

% Fast (vectorized)
tic;
y = sin((1:n)/1000);
t_vec = toc;
fprintf('Loop: %.3fs, Vectorized: %.3fs, Speedup: %.1fx\n', t_loop, t_vec, t_loop/t_vec);

Element-wise vs Matrix Operations

| Operator | Matrix | Element-wise |

|----------|--------|-------------|

| Multiply | A * B | A .* B |

| Divide | A / B (right div) | A ./ B |

| Power | A ^ n (matrix power) | A .^ n |

ODE Solver Selection

| Solver | Order | When to Use |

|--------|-------|-------------|

| ode45 | 4-5 | Default. Most non-stiff problems |

| ode23 | 2-3 | Rough solutions, faster per step |

| ode113 | variable | High-accuracy, expensive evaluations |

| ode15s | variable | Stiff problems (chemical kinetics, circuits) |

| ode23s | 2 | Stiff, moderate accuracy |

Common Workflows

Workflow: Data Analysis Pipeline

% 1. Load data
data = readtable('experiment.csv');

% 2. Clean
data = rmmissing(data);
fprintf('After cleaning: %d rows\n', height(data));

% 3. Group analysis
groups = unique(data.Category);
results = table();
for i = 1:length(groups)
    mask = strcmp(data.Category, groups{i});
    subset = data(mask, :);
    row = table(groups(i), mean(subset.Value), std(subset.Value), ...
        'VariableNames', {'Category', 'Mean', 'Std'});
    results = [results; row];
end
disp(results);

% 4. Visualize and save
figure;
bar(categorical(results.Category), results.Mean);
hold on;
errorbar(1:height(results), results.Mean, results.Std, '.k');
ylabel('Mean Value'); title('Results by Category');
saveas(gcf, 'results.png');
writetable(results, 'summary.csv');

Workflow: Numerical Simulation (Heat Equation)

% 1D heat equation: du/dt = alpha * d2u/dx2
L = 1; N = 100; T_end = 0.5; alpha = 0.01;
dx = L / (N - 1);
dt = 0.4 * dx^2 / alpha;  % CFL condition
x = linspace(0, L, N);
nsteps = floor(T_end / dt);

% Initial condition: Gaussian pulse
u = exp(-50 * (x - 0.5).^2);

% Time stepping (explicit finite difference)
figure;
for step = 1:nsteps
    u_new = u;
    for i = 2:N-1
        u_new(i) = u(i) + alpha * dt / dx^2 * (u(i+1) - 2*u(i) + u(i-1));
    end
    u = u_new;
    if mod(step, floor(nsteps/5)) == 0
        plot(x, u, 'LineWidth', 1.5); hold on;
    end
end
xlabel('Position'); ylabel('Temperature');
title('Heat Equation Evolution');
legend(arrayfun(@(n) sprintf('t=%.2f', n*dt*floor(nsteps/5)), 1:5, 'UniformOutput', false));
saveas(gcf, 'heat_equation.png');

Workflow: Batch File Processing

  • List files with dir('data/*.csv')
  • Loop through files, load each with readtable()
  • Apply analysis function to each file
  • Collect results into a summary table with vertcat()
  • Export summary with writetable()

Key Parameters

| Parameter | Function | Default | Range | Effect |

|-----------|----------|---------|-------|--------|

| Order | polyfit | — | 1–20 | Polynomial degree for fitting |

| tspan | ode45 | — | [t0, tf] | Integration time interval |

| 'LineWidth' | plot | 0.5 | 0.1–5 | Line thickness in plots |

| bins | histogram | auto | 1–1000 | Number of histogram bins |

| Filter order | fir1 | — | 10–200 | FIR filter order (higher = sharper) |

| 'RelTol' | ode45 | 1e-3 | 1e-12–1e-1 | Relative error tolerance |

| 'AbsTol' | ode45 | 1e-6 | 1e-15–1e-1 | Absolute error tolerance |

Best Practices

  • Always vectorize over loops: MATLAB's JIT is good but vectorized code is 10-100x faster for large arrays. Use bsxfun, logical indexing, and array operations.
  • Preallocate arrays: Growing arrays in loops causes repeated memory allocation.
   % Bad: y = []; for i=1:n, y = [y, f(i)]; end
   % Good:
   y = zeros(1, n);
   for i = 1:n, y(i) = f(i); end
  • Use \ instead of inv() for linear systems: A\b is numerically more stable and faster than inv(A)*b.
  • Anti-pattern — using == for floating-point comparison: Use abs(a - b) < tol instead of a == b due to floating-point precision.
  • Save figures in vector format for publications: Use print('-dpdf', 'fig.pdf') or print('-dsvg', 'fig.svg') instead of PNG for scalable figures.
  • Anti-pattern — mixing 0-indexed and 1-indexed logic: MATLAB arrays start at 1. When porting from Python/C, adjust all indices.
  • Use fprintf over disp for formatted output: fprintf gives control over number formatting; disp only shows raw values.

Common Recipes

Recipe: Curve Fitting with Confidence Intervals

x = (1:20)';
y = 3 * exp(-0.2 * x) + 0.5 * randn(size(x));

% Nonlinear fit using lsqcurvefit (Optimization Toolbox)
% Or use polyfit for polynomial:
p = polyfit(x, y, 3);
y_fit = polyval(p, x);
residuals = y - y_fit;
rmse = sqrt(mean(residuals.^2));
fprintf('RMSE: %.4f\n', rmse);

figure;
plot(x, y, 'ko', x, y_fit, 'r-', 'LineWidth', 2);
xlabel('x'); ylabel('y');
title(sprintf('Polynomial Fit (RMSE = %.3f)', rmse));
saveas(gcf, 'curvefit.png');

Recipe: Image Processing Basics

img = imread('sample.png');
gray = rgb2gray(img);

% Edge detection
edges = edge(gray, 'Canny');

% Display
figure;
subplot(1, 3, 1); imshow(img); title('Original');
subplot(1, 3, 2); imshow(gray); title('Grayscale');
subplot(1, 3, 3); imshow(edges); title('Edges');
saveas(gcf, 'image_processing.png');

Recipe: Python Integration

% Call Python from MATLAB (requires Python on PATH)
result = py.numpy.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
py_mean = py.numpy.mean(result);
fprintf('Python numpy mean: %.1f\n', double(py_mean));

% Call MATLAB from Python (requires matlab.engine)
% import matlab.engine
% eng = matlab.engine.start_matlab()
% result = eng.sqrt(42.0)

Troubleshooting

| Problem | Cause | Solution |

|---------|-------|----------|

| Undefined function or variable | Function not on path or misspelled | Check which funcname; add path with addpath() |

| Dimension mismatch in * | Matrix sizes incompatible | Use .* for element-wise; check size() of both operands |

| ODE solver very slow | Stiff problem with non-stiff solver | Switch to ode15s or ode23s for stiff systems |

| Singular matrix warning | Matrix is rank-deficient | Check cond(A); use pinv() (pseudo-inverse) or regularize |

| Octave pkg error | Package not installed | Run pkg install -forge package_name; pkg load package_name |

| Figure not saving | No figure handle active | Create figure explicitly with figure; before plotting |

| Out of memory | Large array allocation | Use sparse matrices (sparse()), process in chunks, or increase swap |

  • statsmodels-statistical-modeling — Python alternative for statistical modeling with inference tables
  • matplotlib-scientific-plotting — Python plotting; use when working in Python ecosystem
  • scikit-learn-machine-learning — Python ML; for classification/clustering tasks better suited to Python

References

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take jaechang-hits/matlab-scientific-computing from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.

Install what it needs

The instructions reference brew. Without those the skill loads but fails at the first command.