MATLAB: Vector algebra

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In MATLAB you do not not have to declare a variable and its type. The type of a variable is specified through its initialization. So you choose a name for the variable and use the equal sign to initialize it. If no semicolon is used at the end of a command, MATLAB gives feedback about the initialized variable. Otherwise no output is generated. Scalar values for example are initialized like follows:

Matlab-va-scalar.png

An n-dimensional vector is created by typing the n components in rectangular brackets. Separation of the values with space leads to a row vector while values separated with a semicolon result in a column vector.

Matlab-va-vector.png

To compute the magnitude of a vector use the command norm:

Matlab-va-vector-norm.png