# str2num

## Purpose

String to number conversion.

## Synopsis

    x = str2num('str')

## Description

`x = str2num('str')` converts the string `str`, which is an ASCII character representation of a numeric value, to MATLAB's numeric representation. The string can contain digits, a decimal point, a leading + or - sign, an `e` preceding a power of 10 scale factor, and/or an `i` for a complex unit.

## Examples

`str2num('3.14159e0')` is approximately pi .

## Algorithm

The M-file for `x = str2num(s)` is a single line:

    eval(['x = ' s ';']);

## See Also

    hex2num, num2str, sscanf

(c) Copyright 1994 by The MathWorks, Inc.