MATLAB (MATrix LABoratory) is the abbreviation of MATrix LABoratory, and it is a commercial mathematical software produced by MathWorks Company in the United States. MATLAB is an advanced technical computing language and interactive environment, which is used for algorithm development, data visualization, data analysis and numerical calculation. MATLAB can be used to create user interfaces and call programs written in other languages (including C, C++ and FORTRAN) in addition to common functions such as matrix operation and drawing functions/data images.

Although MATLAB is mainly used for numerical calculation, it is also suitable for different applications with many additional toolboxes, such as control system design and analysis, image processing, signal processing and communication, financial modeling and analysis, etc. In addition, there is a supporting software package Simulink, which provides a visual development environment and is often used for system simulation, dynamic/embedded system development and so on.