When Should You Detail MATLAB Function Theory in a Math Modeling Paper?

From Zhihu question: “Do I need to write detailed principles for MATLAB functions used in mathematical modeling?”

Mathematical modeling using MATLAB functions – should the underlying theory be described in detail?

Answer: The need to describe a function’s principle depends on its commonness and importance.

In theory, any algorithm or mathematical model can be programmed as a function and incorporated into software or libraries. However, we cannot omit explanations for all models; the level of detail should vary.

Functions can be classified into three categories based on how common they are:

Very common basic functions taught in high school, such as computing averages, standard deviations, or generating vectors and matrices. These generally do not require detailed description.

Classic models, e.g., ARIMA for time series, machine‑learning algorithms like random forest and decision tree, and widely used optimization methods. These should be introduced, emphasizing their meaning, application scope, and core expressions, while omitting low‑level implementation details (about half a page).

Newer or less‑known models that have emerged in recent years or appear in specific papers and are already integrated into programming tools. If they play a crucial role in the modeling, the paper should provide a more thorough explanation, including the model and key implementation points, and cite relevant references.

Additionally, importance matters: important algorithms deserve more exposition, while less important ones need less.

For reference, an empirical table summarizing these guidelines is shown below:

Readers are invited to share their thoughts in the comments.

Original question link: https://www.zhihu.com/question/620351984