Iteration

Iteration in Scilab

Reference Link: Spoken Tutorial - Scilab Iteration

Objective:

To understand and implement iteration in Scilab, specifically focusing on for loops and while loops for repetitive tasks.

Key Concepts:

1. For Loop:

• The for loop is used to repeat a block of code for a specific number of times.
  
  

• The loop iterates over a sequence of numbers or an array.
  
  

Syntax:

for variable = start_value : step_value : end_value

    // statements to be executed

end

Example:

for i = 1 : 2 : 10

    disp(i)

end

This loop starts at 1, increments by 2, and runs until 10.

2. While Loop:

• The while loop repeats as long as the condition is true.
  
  

Syntax:

while condition

    // statements to be executed

end

Example:

i = 1;

while i <= 5

    disp(i)

    i = i + 1;

end

This loop continues as long as i is less than or equal to 5.

3. Break and Continue:

• break: Exits the loop immediately.
  
  

• continue: Skips the current iteration and moves to the next one.
  
  

Example with break and continue:

for i = 1 : 5

    if i == 3 then

        continue; // skip 3

    end

    if i == 4 then

        break; // stop loop when i is 4

    end

    disp(i)

end

4. Nested Loops:

• Scilab allows nesting of loops, i.e., placing one loop inside another.
  
  

Example:

for i = 1 : 3

    for j = 1 : 2

        disp([i, j])

    end

end

This loops through all combinations of i and j values.

Algorithm for Iteration (Example - Sum of numbers):

1. Initialize a variable to store the sum (e.g., sum = 0).
   
   

2. Use a for or while loop to iterate through numbers (e.g., from 1 to N).
   
   

3. For each iteration, add the current number to the sum.
   
   

4. After the loop ends, display the sum.
   
   

Code Example:

sum = 0;

for i = 1 : 5

    sum = sum + i;

end

disp(sum)

This will sum the numbers 1 to 5.

Conclusion:

• For Loops and While Loops are essential for performing repetitive tasks in Scilab.
  
  

• Understanding break, continue, and nested loops helps in more complex iteration-based tasks.
  
  

• Scilab makes it easy to perform various types of iterations and loop control mechanisms for efficient programming.