MATLAB: Help with ode45 error.

ode45

I have a higher order system of ode's that I am trying to solve using ode45. I am receiving an error:
Subscript indices must either be real positive integers or logicals.
My two files are below, followed by a complete list of errors.
function xdot = fdynamics(t,y)
F = 0;
T = 0;
m1 = 2;
m2 = 3;
g = 9.81;
l1 = 1;
l2 = 1;
xdot(1) = y(2);
xdot(2) = (F-m2*g*sin(y(3)))/m2 + (l1+y(1))*y(4)^2;
xdot(3) = y(4);
xdot(4) = (T-(2*m2*(l1+y(1)))*y(4)*y(2) - g*cos(y(3))*(m1*(l1/2)+m2*(l1+y(1))) /((1/3)*m1*(l1)^2 + (1/12)*m2*l2^2 + m2(l1+y(1))^2));
xdot = xdot';
end
//AND//
clc
clear
options = odeset('Refine',1','MaxStep',1/60);
[t,y]=ode45(@fdynamics,[0 5],[0; 0; 0; 0],options);
plot(t,y(:,1),'-x')
title('D vs t');
xlabel('Time t');
ylabel('D');
legend('D')
figure
plot(t,y(:,2),'-x')
title('D-Dot vs t');
xlabel('Time t');
ylabel('D-Dot');
legend('D-Dot')
figure
plot(t,y(:,3),'-x')
title('Theta vs t');
xlabel('Time t');
ylabel('Theta');
legend('Theta')
figure
plot(t,y(:,4),'-o')
title('Theta-Dot vs t');
xlabel('Time t');
ylabel('Theta-Dot');
legend('Theta-Dot')
//ERRORS//
Subscript indices must either be real positive integers or
logicals.
Error in fdynamics (line 16)
xdot(4) = (T-(2*m2*(l1+y(1)))*y(4)*y(2) -
g*cos(y(3))*(m1*(l1/2)+m2*(l1+y(1))) /((1/3)*m1*(l1)^2 +
(1/12)*m2*l2^2 + m2(l1+y(1))^2));
Error in ode45 (line 262)
f(:,3) = feval(odeFcn,t+hA(2),y+f*hB(:,2),odeArgs{:});
Error in attempt2 (line 9)
[t,y]=ode45(@fdynamics,[0 5],[0; 0; 0; 0],options);

Best Answer

You’re missing a multiplication operator:
xdot(4) = (T-(2*m2*(l1+y(1)))*y(4)*y(2) - g*cos(y(3))*(m1*(l1/2)+m2*(l1+y(1))) /((1/3)*m1*(l1)^2 + (1/12)*m2*l2^2 + m2*(l1+y(1))^2));
↑ — INSERT MULTIPLICATION OPERATOR HERE
Without the operator (I assume you intend multiplication), MATLAB assumes ‘m2’ is an array, and throws that error.