ABSTRACT
Performing simple computations is virtually identical in both packages. One difference is that in MATLAB, parentheses are optional when calling a function which needs no arguments. Variable names in R can consist of letters, digits, periods, and underscores. R installations in some locales may allow for additional characters, such as accented letters. However, for greatest portability, it is probably best to stick with simple alphanumeric characters. Variable names in MATLAB can consist of letters, digits, and underscores. Variable names in MATLAB are more restrictive than they are in R, in both length and the characters allowed in them. Both R and MATLAB platforms will automatically store the results of a recent computation in an internal variable, but with a subtle difference. Most of the simple functions and operators typically used with real numbers have the same names in R and MATLAB, with those names being common to many if not most programming languages.
