Question

In MATLAB we use several different functions to perform statistical computations. Which MATLAB function returns the smallest value in the array (depending on the number of rows/columns and which dimension is provided)?

Options:
A) minval function
B) small function
C) minimum function
D) min function

Answer 1

The MATLAB function to find the smallest value in an array is the 'min function'. It can find minima across the whole array, per column, or per row, using specific syntax for each case.

Step-by-step explanation:

In MATLAB, the function used to find the smallest value in an array is the min function. This function can operate on vectors, matrices, and multidimensional arrays. To get the smallest element from an entire array, simply use min(A), where A is the array. If you are working with a matrix and want to know the minimum value in each column, you would use min(A). However, if you want the minimum value in each row, you would use min(A,[],2). Moreover, you can use the 'dim' argument to specify the dimension over which to operate.

For example, to find the smallest value in each row of a 2D matrix M, you would write:

minValueRow = min(M, [], 2);

And to find the smallest value in each column, you would write:

minValueCol = min(M);

The min function is versatile and widely used in various statistical computations and data analysis tasks in MATLAB.