About MATLAB

MATLAB (matrix  laboratory)  is  a  fourth-generation  high-level  programming  language  and  interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization and programming.
MATLAB is developed by MathWorks.
It  allows  matrix  manipulations;  plotting  of  functions  and  data;  implementation  of  algorithms;  creation  of  user interfaces;  interfacing  with  programs  written  in  other  languages,  including  C,  C++,  Java,  and  Fortran;  analyze data; develop algorithms; and create models and applications. It  has numerous  built-in  commands and  math  functions  that  help  you  in mathematical calculations,  generating plots and performing numerical methods.MATLAB's Power of Computational Mathematics . MATLAB is used in every facet of computational mathematics. Following are some commonly used mathematical calculations where it is used most commonly:

•   Dealing with Matrices and Arrays
•   2-D and 3-D Plotting and graphics
•   Linear Algebra
•   Algebraic Equations
•   Non-linear Functions
•   Statistics
•   Data Analysis
•   Calculus and Differential Equations
•   Numerical Calculations
•   Integration
•   Transforms
•   Curve Fitting
•   Various other special functions

Features of MATLAB
Following are the basic features of MATLAB:
  It is a high-level language for numerical computation, visualization and application development.
  It also provides an interactive environment for iterative exploration, design and problem solving.
  It  provides  vast  library  of  mathematical  functions  for  linear  algebra,  statistics,  Fourier  analysis,  filtering,
optimization, numerical integration and solving ordinary differential equations.
  It provides built-in graphics for visualizing data and tools for creating custom plots.
  MATLAB's programming interface gives development tools for improving code quality and maintainability and
maximizing performance.
  It provides tools for building applications with custom graphical interfaces.
  It provides functions for integrating MATLAB based algorithms with external applications and languages such
as C, Java, .NET and Microsoft Excel.
Uses of MATLAB
MATLAB is widely used as a computational tool in science and engineering encompassing the fields of physics,
chemistry, math and all engineering streams. It is used in a range of applications including:
  Signal Processing and Communications
  Image and Video Processing
  Control Systems
  Test and Measurement
  Computational Finance
  Computational Biology