Matlab Cell Arrays Quiz
40 comprehensive questions on MATLAB's cell arrays covering creation, indexing techniques, mixed-type data storage, and useful cell functions — with 16 code examples to master MATLAB's cpp quiz flexible data structures.
40 Questions
~80 minutes
1
Question 1
What is a cell array in MATLAB?
A
Cell array is a data structure that can store different types of data in each element, unlike regular arrays that require homogeneous data types
B
Cell array is identical to regular arrays
C
Cell array stores only numbers
D
Cell arrays are not supported
2
Question 2
How do you create an empty cell array?
matlab
cell_array = cell(3, 2);A
Use cell() function with dimensions to create empty cell array where each element is initialized as empty cell ready for data assignment
B
Use zeros() for empty cell arrays
C
Empty cell arrays are created with []
D
Empty cell arrays are not supported
3
Question 3
How do you create a cell array with initial values?
matlab
data = {'text', 42, [1 2 3]};A
Use curly braces {} to create cell array with mixed data types, enclosing different data types in single container for heterogeneous storage
B
Use square brackets [] for cell arrays
C
Use parentheses () for cell creation
D
Cell arrays cannot be initialized with values
4
Question 4
What is the difference between () and {} indexing for cell arrays?
matlab
C = {'a', 'b', 'c'};
cell_element = C(2);
content = C{2};A
Parentheses () return cell itself, curly braces {} return content of cell, enabling different access levels for cell array manipulation
B
They are identical for cell arrays
C
{} is for regular arrays, () for cells
D
Both return cell content
5
Question 5
How do you assign values to cell array elements?
matlab
C = cell(1, 3);
C{1} = 'hello';
C{2} = 42;
C{3} = magic(3);A
Use curly braces {} with index to assign content to specific cell, allowing storage of different data types in each cell element
B
Use parentheses () for cell assignment
C
Use square brackets [] for assignment
D
Cell array elements cannot be assigned
6
Question 6
What does the cellfun function do?
matlab
C = {1, 2, 3, 4};
result = cellfun(@isnumeric, C);A
cellfun() applies function to each cell element, returning results in array format for batch processing of cell array contents
B
cellfun() creates new cell arrays
C
cellfun() works with regular arrays
D
Cell function application is not supported
7
Question 7
How do you concatenate cell arrays?
matlab
C1 = {'a', 'b'};
C2 = {'c', 'd'};
combined = [C1, C2];A
Use square brackets [] to horizontally concatenate cell arrays, combining multiple cell arrays into single larger cell array structure
B
Use curly braces {} for concatenation
C
Use + operator for cell concatenation
D
Cell array concatenation is not supported
8
Question 8
What is the iscell function used for?
matlab
data = {'text', 42};
result = iscell(data);A
iscell() checks if variable is cell array, returning logical value for type validation in data processing workflows
B
iscell() checks cell contents
C
iscell() creates cell arrays
D
Cell type checking is not supported
9
Question 9
How do you convert cell array to regular array?
matlab
C = {'a', 'b', 'c'};
str_array = string(C);A
Use appropriate conversion functions like string(), cell2mat(), or char() depending on cell contents for converting cell arrays to homogeneous arrays
B
Cell arrays convert automatically
C
Use array() function for conversion
D
Cell to array conversion is not supported
10
Question 10
What does the celldisp function do?
matlab
C = {'hello', 42, [1 2 3]};
celldisp(C);A
celldisp() displays cell array contents with indices, providing clear visualization of heterogeneous data stored in cell array structure
B
celldisp() creates new cell arrays
C
celldisp() modifies cell contents
D
Cell display is not supported
11
Question 11
How do you find empty cells in a cell array?
matlab
C = {'text', [], 42, {}};
empty_cells = cellfun(@isempty, C);A
Use cellfun() with @isempty to identify empty cells, returning logical array indicating which cells contain no data for data validation
B
Use find() directly on cell arrays
C
Empty cells are marked automatically
D
Empty cell detection is not supported
12
Question 12
What is cell indexing vs content indexing?
A
Cell indexing with () returns cell container, content indexing with {} returns actual data stored in cell, fundamental distinction for proper data access
B
They are the same for cell arrays
C
Cell indexing is for creation, content for access
D
Both return cell containers
13
Question 13
How do you create nested cell arrays?
matlab
nested = {{'a', 'b'}, {'c', 'd'}};A
Use nested curly braces to create cell arrays containing other cell arrays, enabling hierarchical data organization and complex data structures
B
Use nested square brackets
C
Nested cell arrays are created automatically
D
Nested cell arrays are not supported
14
Question 14
What does the cell2mat function do?
matlab
C = {[1 2], [3 4]};
matrix = cell2mat(C);A
cell2mat() converts cell array of matrices into single concatenated matrix, useful for combining compatible array data from cells
B
cell2mat() works with any cell content
C
cell2mat() creates cell arrays
D
Cell to matrix conversion is not supported
15
Question 15
How do you get the size of a cell array?
matlab
C = cell(3, 4);
dims = size(C);A
Use size() function to get dimensions of cell array structure, returning row and column counts for array sizing information
B
size() returns number of elements in cells
C
Use length() for cell array size
D
Cell array sizing is not supported
16
Question 16
What is the cellplot function used for?
matlab
C = {'text', 42, [1 2 3]};
cellplot(C);A
cellplot() creates graphical visualization of cell array structure, showing cell contents and organization for debugging and understanding complex cell layouts
B
cellplot() modifies cell arrays
C
cellplot() creates plots of cell data
D
Cell plotting is not supported
17
Question 17
How do you remove cells from a cell array?
A
Use indexing with [] to remove cells or use cell array concatenation to create new array without specific cells for cell removal operations
B
Use delete() function for cells
C
Cells are removed automatically
D
Cell removal is not supported
18
Question 18
What is the difference between cell and regular arrays?
A
Cell arrays store heterogeneous data types in each element, regular arrays require homogeneous data enabling different data storage approaches for different needs
B
They are identical data structures
C
Cell arrays are faster than regular arrays
D
Regular arrays store mixed data types
19
Question 19
How do you sort cell array contents?
A
Use sort() function for compatible data types or custom sorting functions for mixed content, enabling ordered cell array organization
B
Cell arrays cannot be sorted
C
Use cellsort() function
D
Sorting is automatic for cell arrays
20
Question 20
What does the num2cell function do?
A
num2cell() converts numeric array into cell array with each element in separate cell, enabling element-wise cell operations on numeric data
B
num2cell() converts cells to numbers
C
num2cell() creates numeric arrays
D
Number to cell conversion is not supported
21
Question 21
How do you check cell array dimensions?
A
Use ndims() and size() functions to determine cell array dimensionality and size, essential for proper indexing and iteration operations
B
Cell arrays have fixed dimensions
C
Use length() for dimensions
D
Dimension checking is not supported
22
Question 22
What is the deal function used for?
A
deal() distributes cell array elements to multiple output variables, enabling convenient unpacking of cell contents for assignment operations
B
deal() creates card games
C
deal() modifies cell contents
D
Cell distribution is not supported
23
Question 23
How do you create cell arrays from existing data?
A
Use mat2cell() to convert matrices to cell arrays or manually assign data to cell elements using curly brace indexing for structured data organization
B
Cell arrays are created automatically from data
C
Use cellfrom() function
D
Data to cell conversion is not supported
24
Question 24
What is the cellstr function used for?
A
cellstr() converts character array or string array to cell array of strings, standardizing text data for consistent cell array operations
B
cellstr() converts cells to strings
C
cellstr() creates character arrays
D
String cell conversion is not supported
25
Question 25
How do you iterate through cell array elements?
A
Use for loops with curly brace indexing to access cell contents or cellfun() for function application, enabling systematic cell array processing
B
Cell arrays cannot be iterated
C
Use regular array iteration
D
Iteration is automatic for cell arrays
26
Question 26
What does the iscellstr function check?
A
iscellstr() verifies if cell array contains only strings or character arrays, useful for validating text data collections in cell arrays
B
iscellstr() checks for any cell array
C
iscellstr() creates string cells
D
String cell validation is not supported
27
Question 27
How do you merge cell arrays vertically?
A
Use square brackets with semicolon [C1; C2] to vertically concatenate cell arrays, stacking them for combined data processing
B
Use curly braces for vertical merging
C
Vertical merging is automatic
D
Vertical cell merging is not supported
28
Question 28
What is the mat2cell function used for?
A
mat2cell() divides matrix into cell array of submatrices based on specified dimensions, enabling matrix partitioning for separate processing
B
mat2cell() converts cells to matrices
C
mat2cell() creates random matrices
D
Matrix to cell conversion is not supported
29
Question 29
How do you handle cell arrays with different sizes?
A
Cell arrays naturally accommodate different sized contents in each cell, providing flexibility for storing variable-length data like text strings or matrices
B
All cells must have same size
C
Use resize() function for cells
D
Variable size handling is not supported
30
Question 30
What does the cell2struct function do?
A
cell2struct() converts cell array to structure using field names, transforming cell data into structured format for organized data access
B
cell2struct() converts structures to cells
C
cell2struct() creates cell arrays
D
Cell to structure conversion is not supported
31
Question 31
How do you copy cell array contents?
A
Use assignment operator or cellfun() with copy operations to duplicate cell contents, ensuring proper copying of complex nested structures
B
Cell contents copy automatically
C
Use copy() function for cells
D
Cell copying is not supported
32
Question 32
What is the struct2cell function used for?
A
struct2cell() converts structure to cell array, extracting field values into cell format for flexible data manipulation and access
B
struct2cell() converts cells to structures
C
struct2cell() creates structures
D
Structure to cell conversion is not supported
33
Question 33
How do you search within cell array contents?
A
Use cellfun() with search functions or strcmp() for string cells to find specific content patterns within cell array elements
B
Use find() directly on cell arrays
C
Cell content search is automatic
D
Cell content searching is not supported
34
Question 34
What is the advantage of cell arrays over structures?
A
Cell arrays provide indexed access without field names, offering simpler syntax for sequential data while structures provide named field access for descriptive data organization
B
Cell arrays are always faster
C
Structures store mixed data types better
D
They have identical advantages
35
Question 35
How do you handle memory efficiency with cell arrays?
A
Cell arrays store references to data rather than copying, enabling memory-efficient storage of large heterogeneous datasets with minimal overhead
B
Cell arrays use more memory than regular arrays
C
Use compact() function for cells
D
Memory efficiency is not supported
36
Question 36
What does the isequal function do with cell arrays?
A
isequal() compares cell array contents recursively, checking if all elements and their contents are identical for comprehensive cell array comparison
B
isequal() compares cell references only
C
isequal() works only with regular arrays
D
Cell array comparison is not supported
37
Question 37
How do you reshape cell arrays?
A
Use reshape() function to change cell array dimensions while preserving total number of elements for different organizational layouts
B
Cell arrays cannot be reshaped
C
Use cellreshape() function
D
Reshaping is automatic for cell arrays
38
Question 38
What is the cell2table function used for?
A
cell2table() converts cell array to table format, enabling structured data analysis with column-based operations and variable names
B
cell2table() converts tables to cells
C
cell2table() creates cell arrays
D
Cell to table conversion is not supported
39
Question 39
How do you validate cell array contents?
A
Use cellfun() with validation functions like isnumeric(), ischar(), etc., to check content types and properties across all cell elements
B
Cell contents are validated automatically
C
Use validate() function for cells
D
Cell content validation is not supported
40
Question 40
Considering MATLAB's data structures as a whole, what fundamental advantage do cell arrays provide compared to regular arrays for handling real-world datasets?
A
Cell arrays enable storage and manipulation of truly heterogeneous data collections where different elements can contain completely different data types and sizes, providing unmatched flexibility for real-world data that doesn't fit homogeneous array constraints while maintaining efficient reference-based storage and comprehensive function support
B
Faster processing speed
C
Automatic data conversion
D
Simpler syntax