MathWorks facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Mathematical computing software |
| Founded | December 7, 1984 in Portola Valley, California, U.S. |
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| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | MATLAB, Simulink |
| Revenue |  US$1.25 billion (2022) |
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Number of employees
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6,000 (2023) |
The MathWorks, Inc. is an American company that creates special computer programs. These programs help people work with math and solve complex problems. Their main products are called MATLAB and Simulink. These tools are used for things like analyzing data and running computer tests or "simulations."
Contents
History of MathWorks
How MATLAB Started
The idea for MATLAB began in the 1970s. A computer science professor named Cleve Moler created it. At first, it was a free tool for students and teachers to use. Later, a student named Jack Little discovered MATLAB while studying at Stanford University.
Founding the Company
Jack Little and Steve Bangert rewrote the MATLAB program to make it even better. In 1984, they teamed up with Cleve Moler to start MathWorks. Jack Little ran the company from his home in California. He would mail the first copies of MATLAB on computer diskettes to customers.
The company's very first sale was in February 1985. They sold 10 copies of MATLAB to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for $500. A few years later, Jack Little moved the company to Massachusetts. By 1997, MathWorks was doing very well. They had about $50 million in sales and around 380 employees.
Growing and Expanding
Since 1993, other free programs like GNU Octave and scilab have become available. These programs work in a similar way to MATLAB.
In 1999, MathWorks moved its main offices to a large complex called Apple Hill in Natick, Massachusetts. They bought more buildings there in 2008 and 2009, eventually taking over the whole campus. In 2013, MathWorks grew even more by buying another nearby office campus.
By 2018, the company had about 3,000 employees in Natick. They reported sales of around $900 million. In May 2025, MathWorks experienced a computer attack that caused some of their online services to be unavailable for over a week.
What MathWorks Products Do
The two most important products from MathWorks are MATLAB and Simulink.
- MATLAB helps scientists, engineers, and programmers. It lets them look at and understand data, create pictures from data, and build special computer instructions called algorithms.
- Simulink is a visual tool that helps design and test how different systems work. It's great for creating models of things that move or change, like parts of a car or an airplane.
These programs are used in many areas, such as designing airplanes, building cars, and creating other computer software. MathWorks also makes other products like Polyspace, SimEvents, Stateflow, and ThingSpeak.
About the Company
Company Agreements and Inventions
Sometimes, companies have disagreements about their inventions or how they share technology.
- In 1999, the U.S. government looked into an agreement between MathWorks and another company called Wind River Systems. The government was concerned that the agreement might stop fair competition. Both companies later agreed to change their plans.
- In 2003, a court decided that MathWorks' Simulink software used some ideas that were protected by patents from another company, National Instruments.
- In 2011, MathWorks took another company, AccelerEyes, to court. MathWorks said AccelerEyes had copied their ideas and used their brand name without permission. AccelerEyes agreed to stop before the trials began.
- In 2012, a group in Europe started an investigation into MathWorks. Some competitors said MathWorks was not letting others create software that could work well with their products. The investigation ended in 2014 without any charges.
The MathWorks Logo
The company's logo is quite unique. It shows what happens when a thin, L-shaped sheet vibrates. It represents the first way this sheet would move if it were clamped at its edges. This image was inspired by the math research of Cleve Moler, one of the company's founders.
Supporting the Community
MathWorks helps students and the community in several ways:
- They support student engineering contests every year, like EcoCAR. This competition helps students design advanced vehicles.
- MathWorks also supported a math exhibit at the Science Museum in London.
- For people who use their software, MathWorks has an online place called MATLAB Central. Here, users can ask questions, get answers, and share their computer code. It has over 145,000 questions and answers.
- The company also helps many schools and universities. They support STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). They even give money to programs like MIT Open Courseware, which offers free online courses.
See also
In Spanish: MathWorks para niños
