ii. How do I run MATLAB and Microsoft Word?
iii. Can we use a text-editor other than Microsoft Word?
iv. What is my Math20F account for, and
how do I access it?v. Where should I save files?
vi. How do I print?
= most frequently asked)i. How do I log into an ACS PC?
ii. How do I run MATLAB and Microsoft Word?
iii. Can we use a text-editor other than Microsoft Word?
v. Where should I save files?
vi. How do I print?
i. I can't seem to copy my graph into my Word document. Why not?
ii. Can I do the labs from home?
iii. I'm using MATLAB on my home computer and the results I get don't seem to agree with the lab tells me I should be getting. What's wrong?
iv. What if I see material in the lab we haven't covered in lecture or section yet?
i. Whom should I ask if I need MATLAB help?
ii. Whom should I ask if I need MATLAB help and my TA is not around?
iii. Whom should I ask if I'm having trouble with the ACS computers?
Choose a PC and move the mouse or press a key to bring up the login screen. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Now log in with your regular ACS account login and password. This means that your login is the first part of your UCSD email address, the part before the @ucsd.edu. Your password is the password you use to check your email. If you can't remember what this is, either contact a Zebra (see Question 2.iii below) or visit http://acs.ucsd.edu/account-tools/need-password.php.
If you have logged in, remember at the end to log out! This is done by choosing START -> Log Off.
Locate the START menu in the bottom-left of the screen. Click on it and then move the mouse through the following string of popup menus.
START -> All Programs -> MATLAB 6.5 -> MATLAB 6.5
then click again. This will run MATLAB. Next we run Word:
START -> All Programs -> Microsoft Office XP -> Microsoft Word
Yes. Any word processor will do the trick, but you should use something fairly sophisticated. (Not Notepad, in other words.) You will have to copy graphs into your file, so your work processor must be able to handle graphics. We understand that some people have a strong dislike of Bill Gates.
By enrolling in Math 20F you automatically get a Math20F ACS account; this is a separate account from your regular ACS account. You do not generally need to use your Math20F account while completing a lab assignment; its main purpose is to give you extra storage space to save files in (see Question 1.v below). You can access this account by clicking on the Class Resources Folder that should be in the lower-left area of your desktop. Then choose the icon __. Your login (ma20f~~) should already be listed. Your password is the first 8 characters of your student id (e.g. a2345678).
If you don't have too much stored in My Documents, you can save files in there. Files in My Documents are saved to a separate file-server upon your logout and reloaded in upon your login. This can take some time, so consider deleting unneeded items in My Documents. Another place to save files is in your Math 20F account. (See Question 1.iv above.) You probably only want to do this if you are out of room in My Documents and don't might messing with another login.
See the discussion at the end of Lab 1.
The most likely problem here is that you are using Copy instead of Copy Figure from the Edit menu.
You won't be able to do the labs through telnet or SSH because of the graphing aspects. So, in order to work from home you will need to have MATLAB installed on your home computer. You can purchase the Student Edition from the bookstore. As a warning, however, see the next Question.
The labs are designed to be used on specific, on-campus ACS computers--the PCs and not the Macs--designated for Math 20F use. This includes the second floor of the CLICS lab and the basement lab in AP&M. You use any other computer at your own risk. In theory, the assignments should work fine on any machine and even other recent versions of MATLAB, but this has not been extensively tested.
Every once and a while, a professor may get a bit behind in the lectures, so you may see something on a lab you haven't seen in class yet. This is okay. The labs are all very self-contained, so you should be able to read through the lab and figure out what it is you need to know to accomplish the task at hand. Also, be sure to let your TA know. That way they can be prepared to give that extra bit of help necessary to complete the assignment.
First of all, make sure you're really typing in the command exactly as it appears in the lab by copying and pasting the text rather than trying to re-type it yourself. Often, you'll miss small characters like dots and commas, or else you'll miss a vital parenthesis.
When copying and pasting the text, remember not to copy the prompt symbol (>>). Just copy and paste the text of the command, given in red.
In general, it is a good idea to start a fresh session of MATLAB before beginning any lab assignment. So if you have been
A. working on multiple assignments in a row,
B. doing other work in MATLAB, or
C. making a lot of mistakes requiring you to go back and redo much of the lab,
then it might be a good idea to close MATLAB and open it back up again. If you are in the middle of an assignment already, though, use this as a last resort, since this effectively erases all the work you've already done in the lab. You'll have to start over from the beginning of the Example or Exercise you were working on.
No, a black and white printout will be just fine.
If you have tried thehelpbrowserand scanned this FAQ, and you still have not gotten your question answered, ask your TA. If your TA looks really busy, try asking a neighbor. If you're working when your TA is not around, see the next Question.
First a few DO NOTs. Do not ask a Zebra or librarian for help with a MATLAB- or math-specific question. This is not their job. Next, do not email your lab to your TA (unless you've gotten their approval beforehand). You can ask your TA their policy on MATLAB help over email. Since the TAs are in the lab at specific times, this is the truly best time to get their help. Some procedures are just too difficult to describe in text. If you have specific conflicts (either weekly or just once), notify your TA as early as possible!
That said, there are probably ways to get help. If you go to your computer lab on the same day, but at a different time and it is not too busy, you can try to get some other Math 20F TA to help you. You might find other Math 20F students in the lab at odd hours and you can try talking to them.
If your TA is around, point out the problem to her/him. They might know a quick solution. Next, look for a ACS Zebra; they wear black-and-white stripes. If something like a monitor/keyboard/mouse seems broken, fill out an ACS Problem Report and place it on the computer. You should be able to find these forms in the labs somewhere, or at the main Desk if you're in CLICS. This will save the next person that tries to use that computer a headache.