8.812 :: Graduate Experimental Laboratory

Getting Started with Matlab in Junior Lab

1. Please start by reading our Matlab QuickStart Guide (PDF) (TEX)
2. MIT also provides a `web-based' Matlab Tutorial (requires MIT certificates)
3. Matlab on Athena (Students can obtain a copy of Matlab here)

The Junior Lab Staff have provided a Matlab fitting template script to aid you in fitting the data you will acquire in Junior Lab. Download the following 6 files to a new directory on your local computer or within your Athena account.

1. fittemplate09.m (The main script)
2. fitlin.m (subroutine necessary for linear fitting functions)
3. levmar.m (subroutine necessary for non-linear fitting functions)
4. gradsearch.m (subroutine necessary for non-linear fitting functions)
5. gauss3.dat (a sample dataset used within the fitting template)
   
6. bev81.txt (a sample dataset used within the fitting template)
   ---Other---> NIST Statistical Data Sets

Matlab Examples for Inspiration

1. axisproperties.m Demonstrates various axis and grid options in figures


2. antenna.m Models the irradiance pattern of the 21cm radio telescope


3. alphas.m Demonstrates the Geiger-Nuttall Relationship test in the Physics of Alpha Decay


4. subplots.m Demonstrates the use of the ‘subplot’ command for efficient display of raw data sets


5. simpoisson.m Basic generation of Poisson distributed populations


6. singleslit.m Modeling single slit diffraction of a HeNe laser


7. doubleslit.m Models double slit diffraction


8. planck.m Calculates the spectral irradiance from a Black Body using the Planck Radiation Law


9. maxboltz.m Calculates the Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution of Thermal Neutron Velocitites


10. expdecay.m Generates a noisy exponentially decaying dataset for testing non-linear fitting routines


11. xyerrorbars.m Demonstrates how to create plots with both x and y error bars


12. plotmultipleaxes.m Demonstrates how to create plots using both Y-axes (for data sets with very different scales)