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Past Issues
December 1998
Volume 6, number 4
The MATLAB® Digest is The MathWorks electronic news bulletin for MathWorks Account members. The MATLAB Digest can be sent directly to you. To subscribe, become a MathWorks Account Member.
MATLAB Programming Contest
Enter the MATLAB Programming Contest and win a MATLAB denim shirt! Submit your M-code function to the contest and it will be automatically tested, scored, and ranked against other entries. The contest opens on Monday, December 14 and will close on Friday, December 18, 1998, at 5 PM, EST.
The Challenge
You work for a large record company that markets a line of greatest hits compact discs --- "Super funk of the 70s", "Partridge Family Unlimited", "3 Tenors in Antarctica, Again!". For each CD, you have a list of possible songs, their lengths, and the CD's maximum length. You would like each CD to be as close to full as possible, but you have a large catalog of CD's to fill, in anticipation of an 80's revival. It's okay to leave a bit of empty space on each CD to get the job done quickly. You have decided to use MATLAB to determine the set of songs for each CD.
For more information on how to enter and to view the current entries and rankings, visit:
/contest/
Nonlinear Systems Modeling in Simulink
By: Ender St. John-Olcayto
This article is intended to give readers a brief overview of nonlinear dynamic systems and how they can be simulated within Simulink. It is directed towards engineering practitioners who are unfamiliar with Simulink. It is not intended to be a stand-alone text but rather should be read in conjunction with the MATLAB and Simulink documentation. The article concentrates on a simple example and shows how it can be modeled in different ways using Simulink. MATLAB and Simulink are both required. In addition, a C compiler is required to compile some of the examples. A knowledge of introductory-level calculus is required.
read more
Systematic Controller Design and Rapid Prototyping
By: Jacob Apkarian, PhD Quanser Consulting Inc.
Send mail to Jacob Apkarian c/o Rick Drohan
This article describes a systematic approach to computer aided design and rapid prototyping of digital feedback controllers. The method is described using a 3 DOF model helicopter as an example. The paper steps through the various stages of the design starting with the derivation of the nonlinear differential equations via Lagrangian dynamics using the MAPLE symbolic processing language. Following the development of the nonlinear model, a linear model is derived and an open loop Simulink block of the system is implemented. An LQR controller is developed using the Control System Toolbox and the performance is evaluated via Simulink. The controller is then implemented in realtime using WinCon and the performance of the closed loop system is compared with that of the actual system. read more
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Upcoming Conferences and Trade Shows
January 11-14 AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics)
Aerospace Sciences Meeting & Exhibit
Reno, NV January 26-28 Photonics West Meeting & Exposition
San Jose, CA February 8-11 IMAC-XVII (International Model Analysis Conference)
Kissimmee, FL March 1-4 SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) International Congress & Exposition
Detroit, MI March 2-4 Embedded Systems Conference Spring
Chicago, IL
For The MathWorks show schedule, visit:
www.mathworks.com/company/events/tradeshows/by_date.html
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