how to Sort on the basis of a particular column

' are going where you '  '2.050835e-011'
' are going you where '  '3.968437e-012'
' are where going you '  '1.224379e-012'
' are where you going '  '1.442999e-010'
' are you going where '  '1.802050e-009'
' are you where going '  '4.201020e-010'
' going are where you '  '7.568890e-013'
' going are you where '  '2.179447e-011'
' going where are you '  '1.217540e-008'
' going where you are '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you are where '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you where are '  '1.583239e-011'
' where are going you '  '7.839951e-008'
' where are you going '  '8.208695e-005'
' where going are you '  '6.443150e-009'
' where going you are '  '2.037477e-011'
' where you are going '  '4.066607e-009'
' where you going are '  '4.282509e-010'
' you are going where '  '9.933958e-012'
' you are where going '  '7.066954e-012'
' you going are where '  '1.246560e-011'
' you going where are '  '1.347531e-009'
' you where are going '  '5.261888e-009'
' you where going are '  '2.438801e-013'
' are going where you '  '2.050835e-011'
' are going you where '  '3.968437e-012'
' are where going you '  '1.224379e-012'
' are where you going '  '1.442999e-010'
' are you going where '  '1.802050e-009'
' are you where going '  '4.201020e-010'
' going are where you '  '7.568890e-013'
' going are you where '  '2.179447e-011'
' going where are you '  '1.217540e-008'
' going where you are '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you are where '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you where are '  '1.583239e-011'
' where are going you '  '7.839951e-008'
' where are you going '  '8.208695e-005'
' where going are you '  '6.443150e-009'
' where going you are '  '2.037477e-011'
' where you are going '  '4.066607e-009'
' where you going are '  '4.282509e-010'
' you are going where '  '9.933958e-012'
' you are where going '  '7.066954e-012'
' you going are where '  '1.246560e-011'
' you going where are '  '1.347531e-009'
' you where are going '  '5.261888e-009'
' you where going are '  '2.438801e-013'

I want to sort to these cell array on the basis of second column and i am using following code

     * |sorted_matrix = sortrows(sentences,2);| *

and the output is coming unexpected as given below

' going where are you '  '1.217540e-008'
' are where going you '  '1.224379e-012'
' you going are where '  '1.246560e-011'
' you going where are '  '1.347531e-009'
' are where you going '  '1.442999e-010'
' going you where are '  '1.583239e-011'
' are you going where '  '1.802050e-009'
' where going you are '  '2.037477e-011'
' are going where you '  '2.050835e-011'
' going are you where '  '2.179447e-011'
' you where going are '  '2.438801e-013'
' going where you are '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you are where '  '3.561656e-013'
' are going you where '  '3.968437e-012'
' where you are going '  '4.066607e-009'
' are you where going '  '4.201020e-010'
' where you going are '  '4.282509e-010'
' you where are going '  '5.261888e-009'
' where going are you '  '6.443150e-009'
' you are where going '  '7.066954e-012'
' going are where you '  '7.568890e-013'
' where are going you '  '7.839951e-008'
' where are you going '  '8.208695e-005'
' you are going where '  '9.933958e-012'

,what i have to write to get expected result.

sorted on the basis of second column in ascending order.

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

Try this:

ca = {...
' are going where you '  '2.050835e-011'
' are going you where '  '3.968437e-012'
' are where going you '  '1.224379e-012'
' are where you going '  '1.442999e-010'
' are you going where '  '1.802050e-009'
' are you where going '  '4.201020e-010'
' going are where you '  '7.568890e-013'
' going are you where '  '2.179447e-011'
' going where are you '  '1.217540e-008'
' going where you are '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you are where '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you where are '  '1.583239e-011'
' where are going you '  '7.839951e-008'
' where are you going '  '8.208695e-005'
' where going are you '  '6.443150e-009'
' where going you are '  '2.037477e-011'
' where you are going '  '4.066607e-009'
' where you going are '  '4.282509e-010'
' you are going where '  '9.933958e-012'
' you are where going '  '7.066954e-012'
' you going are where '  '1.246560e-011'
' you going where are '  '1.347531e-009'
' you where are going '  '5.261888e-009'
' you where going are '  '2.438801e-013'
' are going where you '  '2.050835e-011'
' are going you where '  '3.968437e-012'
' are where going you '  '1.224379e-012'
' are where you going '  '1.442999e-010'
' are you going where '  '1.802050e-009'
' are you where going '  '4.201020e-010'
' going are where you '  '7.568890e-013'
' going are you where '  '2.179447e-011'
' going where are you '  '1.217540e-008'
' going where you are '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you are where '  '3.561656e-013'
' going you where are '  '1.583239e-011'
' where are going you '  '7.839951e-008'
' where are you going '  '8.208695e-005'
' where going are you '  '6.443150e-009'
' where going you are '  '2.037477e-011'
' where you are going '  '4.066607e-009'
' where you going are '  '4.282509e-010'
' you are going where '  '9.933958e-012'
' you are where going '  '7.066954e-012'
' you going are where '  '1.246560e-011'
' you going where are '  '1.347531e-009'
' you where are going '  '5.261888e-009'
' you where going are '  '2.438801e-013'}
% Sort based on the numerical value of column 2.
[sortedCol2, sortOrder] = sort(str2double(ca(:,2)), 'ascend')
% Create a new cell array based on that sorting order.
ca2 = ca(sortOrder, :)

Answer 2

[dpb]

Your data are cell strings not numeric values, hence the resulting sort is on the collating order of the characters, not the numeric value. So, the result is "expected"... :)

Sort on the numeric value of the second column, not the text -- since you don't want collating order, sortrows isn't of direct help here, instead return the index and then rearrange --

[~,ix]=sort(str2num(char(s(:,2))));
sorted=s(ix,:);

where I've used s as the character array for brevity