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How Do You Create a New Vector in MATLAB?

Published in MATLAB Vector Creation 3 mins read

In MATLAB, the most fundamental way to create a new vector is by enclosing the elements you want in the vector within square brackets []. You can separate the elements using either spaces or commas.

Core Method: Using Square Brackets []

MATLAB treats vectors as matrices with a single row (row vector) or a single column (column vector). According to the provided information, creating a row vector is done by listing its elements inside square brackets.

There are two common ways to separate the elements within the square brackets:

  1. Using Spaces: Simply put a space between each element.
  2. Using Commas: Separate each element with a comma.

Both methods result in the exact same outcome: a row vector (a matrix with 1 row and N columns).

Creating a Vector with Spaces

You can define a variable and assign the vector directly to it using spaces to separate the numerical or string elements.

% Create a row vector using spaces
v_space = [10 20 30 40 50];

In this example, v_space becomes a 1x5 row vector.

Creating a Vector with Commas

Alternatively, you can achieve the identical result by using commas between elements.

% Create a row vector using commas
v_comma = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50];

Here, v_comma is also a 1x5 row vector, identical in structure and content to v_space created using spaces.

As stated in the reference: "You can create a vector both by enclosing the elements in square brackets like v=[1 2 3 4 5] or using commas, like v=[1,2,3,4,5]. They mean the very same: a vector (matrix) of 1 row and 5 columns."

Practical Examples

Let's see how this looks in the MATLAB Command Window:

>> myRowVectorSpace = [1 2 3 4 5]
myRowVectorSpace =
     1     2     3     4     5

>> myRowVectorComma = [1,2,3,4,5]
myRowVectorComma =
     1     2     3     4     5

As demonstrated, assigning [1 2 3 4 5] or [1,2,3,4,5] to a variable like myRowVectorSpace or myRowVectorComma creates a row vector. Both produce a matrix that has 1 row and 5 columns.

Summary of Methods

Method Separator Example Result
Square Brackets Space v = [1 2 3 4 5]; 1x5 Row Vector
Square Brackets Comma v = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]; 1x5 Row Vector

This table summarizes the primary ways to create a row vector directly by listing its elements within square brackets in MATLAB, as described in the reference.

Creating vectors using square brackets with elements separated by spaces or commas is a fundamental and widely used method in MATLAB programming.

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