Functions and For loops

I need help with my homework, I am stumped on this question.

create a new function (Call it until) that takes as an argument an intefer n and spits out the vector x=(1,2,3,...,n)

Answer 1

[Meh]

I am not sure if that is what you are looking for. This function will display numbers from 1 to n. copy and paste this on a new M-file and save it with the name 'until'.

function [x]=until(n)

n=input('enter the number:'); x=[1:1:n]

[Walter Roberson]

Why are you ignoring the perfectly good value of n that is passed in as an argument?

[Jan]

@Meh: You really want to post an answer. Then I suggest "1:n" instead of "[1:1:n]".

Answer 2

[Andrei Bobrov]

Please read about colon operator, about function and about function handle

[Abdullah Tamimi]

that doesn't really help at all...

[Jan]

What would "really" help? The question is very basic and the solution has 2 lines only, a total of 22 characters! If we post the solution, you cannot claim to have solved the question by your own. Of course your teacher knows this forum also and (s)he will not like cheating.

I suggest to read the Getting Started chapters in the documentation. You find all needed information there: 1. how to create a function, 2. how to create the vector [1,2,3, ..., n].

[Daniel Shub]

I think an anonymous function could be used allowing for 1 line and 15 characters.

[Jan]

@Daniel: I think "create a new function" means, that the teacher wants to see the term "function" appearing in the solution. Actually the colon-operator solves the problem already, but it is not "new".

[Sean de Wolski]

As a standalone function I haven't been able to get it below 25 :(.

As an anonymous I have 13.

[Walter Roberson]

Sean, are you including a trailing semi-colon for the anonymous function definition? And are you keeping to the requirement that the created function be named "until" and that it must take an argument and that argument must be named "n" ?

I get 13 only if I exclude the semi-colon.

[Jan]

@Sean de: I did not understand, that the function must be called "until". I called it "f" and counted the line break.

Answer 3

[Walter Roberson]

It's been a long time since I encountered a computer language with a "spit" operation, and I never did get to use it myself. I believe that in the early 1970's, one of the FORTRAN variant compilers produced at University of Waterloo had a SPIT command along with PRINT and PUNCH, intended for use with punching paper tape. There is, however, countervailing historical claim that the IBM computers that those versions of FORTRAN ran on, never had an accessible paper tape punch.