EGR 103/Graphical Methods

This page is meant to serve as the basis for a self-guided tour of the various parts of Lab 5. It will include relevant links and example for each problem. Dr. G will also be presenting materials during the lab.

Palm 5.2

The main goals here are to look at the intersection between two functions and then to determine the independent and dependent values for that intersection graphically using ginput or graphical zoom. You will also be asked to determine maximum and minimum values for the difference between two functions; for that, you may want to recall MATLAB:Plotting#Using_Different_Scales to use a higher number of points for the math that you will want to use for the graphics.

Palm 5.6

This problem has about the same goal as the one above, only this time the intersection is between a function and a constant. To plot a constant properly in MATLAB, you need to make sure you create a vector of points with that constant in it.

Palm 5.8

The core of this problem is understanding the nature of a parametric plot - that is, a plot where the \(x\) and \(y\) coordinates are dependent upon some third variable (the parameter; in this case, \(t\)). Once you understanding that, it is simply a matter of making the plots and calculating the distances. Once again, you will need to reference MATLAB:Plotting#Using_Different_Scales when determining the times, locations, and distances when the ship is nearest to and furthest from the international boundary.

Chapra 3.9

The core of this problem is to learn how to make a surface plot with contours. MATLAB:Plotting_Surfaces contains a great deal of information about this process. The meshgrid command is especially important.

Palm 4.28

This problem expands on making surface plots to using 2-D matrices to solve optimization problems. MATLAB:Plotting_Surfaces and MATLAB:Contour_Plots will be useful in making the plots. The section MATLAB:Plotting_Surfaces#Finding_Minima_and_Maxima_in_2-D will be especially helpful in terms of finding the best location for the distribution center.