Application of Matlab/Simulink software in physics

Abstract

The use of Matlab and its companion toolboxes in teaching graduate and undergraduate electrical engineering circuits courses, control systems and signal analysis courses have been long realized and reported by many educators. These works concentrate on the numerical capabilities of Matlab for solving linear equations and its plotting capabilities. This paper describes the use of Matlab/Simulink in an undergraduate physics course. The complete mathematical models of the physical systems are developed, the design and simulations are performed under a Matlab/Simulink platform. The main advantages of using these tools are: the reinforcement of student understanding of theoretical principles and analysis of more complex systems by means of enhanced graphical aids and interactive simulations. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.