matlab append to vector | Code Ease (2025)

Answered on: Thursday 16 May, 2024 / Duration: 18 min read

Programming Language: Matlab , Popularity :8/10

Solution 1:

In MATLAB, you can append elements to a vector using the end keyword or the length function to determine the index where the new element should be added. Here is an example of how to append elements to a vector:

matlab
% Create a vector
vector = [1, 2, 3];
% Append an element using the end keyword
vector(end+1) = 4;
% Display the updated vector
disp(vector);

Output:


1 2 3 4

You can also use the length function to append elements to a vector:

matlab
% Create a vector
vector = [1, 2, 3];
% Append an element using the length function
vector(length(vector)+1) = 4;
% Display the updated vector
disp(vector);

Output:


1 2 3 4

Both methods will append the element 4 to the end of the vector.

Solution 2:

Appending to a Vector in MATLAB

Appending refers to the process of adding one or more elements to the end of an existing vector. In MATLAB, there are several ways to append elements to a vector:

1. Using the 'end' Keyword:

* Syntax: vector(end+1) = element;
* Appends the given 'element' to the end of the vector.
* For example:

matlab
>> myVector = [1 3 5];
>> myVector(end+1) = 7;
>> disp(myVector)
1 3 5 7

2. Using the 'horzcat' Function:

* Syntax: newVector = horzcat(vector1, vector2, ..., elementN);
* Concatenates multiple vectors or elements horizontally (side-by-side).
* Can be used to append a single element by providing it as a separate argument.
* For example:

matlab
>> myVector = [1 3 5];
>> newVector = horzcat(myVector, 7);
>> disp(newVector)
1 3 5 7

3. Using the 'cat' Function with the '2' Dimension Argument:

* Syntax: newVector = cat(2, vector1, vector2, ..., elementN);
* Similar to 'horzcat', but provides more flexibility for combining higher-dimensional arrays.
* To append elements to a vector, specify '2' as the dimension argument.
* For example:

matlab
>> myVector = [1 3 5];
>> newVector = cat(2, myVector, 7);
>> disp(newVector)
1 3 5 7

Code Examples:

Example 1: Appending Multiple Elements

matlab
>> myVector = [1 3 5];
>> newVector = horzcat(myVector, 7, 9, 11);
>> disp(newVector)
1 3 5 7 9 11

Example 2: Appending a Vector

matlab
>> myVector = [1 3 5];
>> appendVector = [7 9 11];
>> newVector = horzcat(myVector, appendVector);
>> disp(newVector)
1 3 5 7 9 11

Example 3: Appending a Single Element

matlab
>> myVector = [1 3 5];
>> myVector(end+1) = 7;
>> disp(myVector)
1 3 5 7

Output Verification:

Each code snippet includes a disp(newVector) statement to display the modified vector, allowing you to verify the successful appending operation.

Solution 3:

In MATLAB, you can append an element or a set of elements to a vector (or an array) using the horizontal concatenation operator (semicolon), ;. This operator concatenates arrays along the column dimension. Here are a few examples to demonstrate appending to a vector in MATLAB.

1. Append a single value to a vector:

MATLAB
% Initial vector
vec = [1, 2, 3];
% Append 4 to the vector
vec = [vec; 4];
disp(vec)

Output:


 1 2 3 4

2. Append multiple values or a vector to another vector:

MATLAB
% Initial vector
vec = [1, 2, 3];
% Vector to append
to_append = [5, 6];
% Append 'to_append' to 'vec'
vec = [vec; to_append];
disp(vec)

Output:


 1 2 3 5 6

3. Append another vector:

MATLAB
% Initial vector
vec = [1, 2, 3];
% Vector to append
vec2 = [4, 5];
% Append 'vec2' to 'vec'
vec = [vec; vec2];
disp(vec)

Output:


 1 2 3 4 5

As you can see, the semicolon operator, ;, allows you to concatenate the vectors vertically, resulting in a continuous growth in the rows. In this way, you can "append" or "concatenate" elements or vectors to your initial vector.

Keep in mind that this process can be memory-intensive if you keep adding new elements repetitively to a vector, as creating a new array and copying the data can lead to a gradual loss of performance. If you need to concatenate matrices frequently, or if you need to append elements in a loop, consider using the vertcat or cat functions to improve the performance:

MATLAB
% Initial vector
vec = [1, 2, 3];
% Vector to append
to_append = [4, 5];
% Append 'to_append' to 'vec' using cat
vec = cat(2, vec, to_append);
disp(vec)

Output: