Matlab → Basics → Variables → Functions → Display Formats

In the example given in Matlab Built-In Functions section, the Matlab showed the answers A=2.7987e+03 for part-a and A=3.0237e+03 in part-b. This is the default display format of Matlab. And with the command,

>> format long g
>> P=2000; r=0.08; t=4.2;
>> A=P*exp(r*t)
A =
2798.67804962186

The Matlab will display the answer in this way. The next Table lists the different display formats.

Command	Answer
>> format short >> 22/7	3.1429 NOTE: This is the default format.
>> format long >> 22/7	3.142857142857143
>> format bank >> 22/7	3.14
>> format short g >> 22/7	3.1429
>> format long g >> 22/7	3.14285714285714

By using the command >> help format we can find every information about different formats in Matlab. Similarly, we can use the help command to display help text in command window. Try the following commands:

>> help who
>> help sqrt
>> help clc

If you wish to clear the command window, just type >> clc and press Enter. And if you wish to use or edit the previous commands, just press the up-arrow and the earlier used commands will be displayed. For example,

>> I (cursor) Press the up-arrow button.

The next table lists some more useful Matlab commands.

Command	Outcome
>> clc	Clear the command window.
>> clear	Remove all variables from the memory.
>> clear x y z	Remove only x, y, z variables from the memory.
>> who	Display a list of variables currently in the memory.
>> whos	Display variables currently in memory with detailed information.
>> help	List the help topics.