How to Generate Random Numbers In MATLAB?

8 minutes read

Generating random numbers in MATLAB is fairly straightforward. MATLAB provides a range of functions to generate random numbers based on specific distributions or requirements. The most commonly used function is rand, which generates uniformly distributed random numbers between 0 and 1.


To generate a single random number, you can simply use the rand function as follows:

1
randomNum = rand;


If you want to generate a matrix or array of random numbers, you can specify the dimensions within the rand function:

1
randomMatrix = rand(3, 3); % generates a 3x3 matrix of random numbers


MATLAB also offers other functions to generate random numbers based on different distributions. For example:

  • randi generates uniformly distributed random integers within a specified range.
  • randn generates random numbers from a standard normal distribution.
  • randperm generates a random permutation of integers.


These functions take additional arguments depending on the specific distribution or requirements. You can refer to the MATLAB documentation for more details on these functions and their usage.


In addition to the basic random number generation functions, MATLAB also allows you to set a seed value using the rng function. Setting a seed ensures that the same set of random numbers is generated every time you run your code, which can be useful for reproducibility:

1
2
rng(123); % sets the seed to 123
randomNum = rand;


This way, every time you run the code with the same seed value, you will obtain the same random number.


Overall, MATLAB provides various functions to generate random numbers, allowing you to tailor the generation process to your specific needs.

Best Matlab Books to Read in 2024

1
MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications

Rating is 5 out of 5

MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications

2
MATLAB and Simulink In-Depth: Model-based Design with Simulink and Stateflow, User Interface, Scripting, Simulation, Visualization and Debugging

Rating is 4.9 out of 5

MATLAB and Simulink In-Depth: Model-based Design with Simulink and Stateflow, User Interface, Scripting, Simulation, Visualization and Debugging

3
Matlab: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving

Rating is 4.8 out of 5

Matlab: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving

4
MATLAB for Engineers

Rating is 4.7 out of 5

MATLAB for Engineers

5
Matlab: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving

Rating is 4.6 out of 5

Matlab: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving

6
MATLAB: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving

Rating is 4.5 out of 5

MATLAB: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving

7
MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications

Rating is 4.4 out of 5

MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications

8
MATLAB for Engineers (4th Edition)

Rating is 4.3 out of 5

MATLAB for Engineers (4th Edition)


How to generate random numbers within a specific interval in MATLAB?

To generate random numbers within a specific interval in MATLAB, you can use the rand function with some additional calculations. Here's one possible approach:

  1. Define the lower and upper bounds of the interval.
1
2
lowerBound = 10;
upperBound = 20;


  1. Determine the size of the desired random number array, such as a 1x10 array.
1
arraySize = [1, 10];


  1. Generate random numbers between 0 and 1 using the rand function.
1
randomNumbers = rand(arraySize);


  1. Scale the random numbers to fit within the desired interval.
1
randomNumbers = lowerBound + (upperBound - lowerBound) * randomNumbers;


Now, randomNumbers will contain an array of 10 random numbers between 10 and 20. The lower bound is added to the scaled random numbers to ensure they fall within the desired interval.


How to generate random numbers without replacement in MATLAB?

To generate random numbers without replacement in MATLAB, you can use the randperm function. This function generates a random permutation of the integers from 1 to the specified range you provide.


Here is an example of generating five random numbers without replacement between the range 1 to 10:

1
2
3
4
5
range = 10; % Set the range
numNumbers = 5; % Set the number of random numbers to generate

randomNumbers = randperm(range, numNumbers);
disp(randomNumbers);


This will output an array of five random numbers between 1 and 10 without any duplicates.


Note that the randperm function assigns the numbers to the elements of the array in random order, so each time you run the program, you may get different sets of numbers.


How to generate repeatable random numbers in MATLAB?

To generate repeatable random numbers in MATLAB, you can set the seed of the random number generator. Here are the steps:

  1. Set the seed by calling the rng function with a fixed value. For example, to set the seed to 1234, you can use:
1
rng(1234);


This ensures that every time you run the code, the same sequence of random numbers will be generated.

  1. Generate your random numbers using any of the available random number generating functions in MATLAB, such as rand, randn, or randi. For example, to generate a random number between 0 and 1:
1
random_number = rand;


  1. Repeat step 2 as many times as needed, and the same sequence of random numbers will be generated each time you run the code.


Keep in mind that setting the seed will affect all subsequent random number generation in your MATLAB code until you change the seed again.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Whatsapp Pocket

Related Posts:

Working with complex numbers in MATLAB provides a powerful tool for numerical computations involving quantities with both real and imaginary components. MATLAB provides several built-in functions and operators to perform arithmetic operations with complex numb...
In Python, you can print even numbers by using loops and conditional statements. Here's an example code that prints even numbers from 1 to a given limit: # Define the limit limit = 20 # Iterate through numbers from 1 to limit for num in range(1, limit+1):...
Error handling in MATLAB is an important aspect of writing code to handle unexpected situations or errors that may occur during program execution. To implement error handling in MATLAB code, you can use various techniques and functions provided by MATLAB.One a...