Class#1

- Administrative Information
- What is a signal? (1.1)
- What is a system? (1.2)
- Classification of signals (1.4)
- Basic operations on signals(1.5)

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Administrative Information (1)

Course name: Ve216-Introduction to Signals and Systems (4 Credits)

Instructors: Chengbin Ma, chbma@sjtu.edu.cn, Tel: 3420-6209
Office hours: Mon & Wed 2:00pm03:50pm, Room 219, JI Building (or
reserve individual time in advance) Need to confirm in the class.
TAs: Yue Qiao and He Yin (PhD candidates, JI DSC Lab) Office hours?
3 labs started from week#5: 1) Linear Time Invariant System; 2) AM
Radio; 3) Feedback Systems
Major Contents: Modeling and Analysis of LTI Systems (# refer to syllabus)

Representation of Analog LTI systems (Signals/Differential/difference equations)

Frequency-domain Responses (Fourier Transform)
Time-domain Responses (Laplace Transform)
Discrete LTI systems (z-Transform)

Three exams:
Midterm#1: Mar. 18th (Differential/difference equations)
Midterm#2: Mar. 30th (Fourier Transform)
Final exam: Apr. 23th (Laplace and z-Transforms)

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Chengbin Ma

Administrative Information (2)

Grading policy:
Homework: 20% (JI Honor Code), Quiz: 15%, Labs: 15%, Midterm Exam#1: 10%,
Midterm Exam#2: 10%, Final Exam: 30%

Attendance: will be randomly taken at least 5 times following SJTU

academic regulations.
Typical grading curve following past practice in the recent 3 years:

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Chengbin Ma

Resources in Sakai

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Chengbin Ma

Background of Instructor
Modeling, analysis and control of dynamic systems.
Dynamic Systems Control Lab (Web)

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Chengbin Ma

Examples of Real Systems

Power
amplifier

Power
sensor

Bidirectional
coupler

IV sampling
board

Coupling
system

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NI
CompactRIO

Rectifier

Electrical
load

DC/DC
converter

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Chengbin Ma

Class#1
- Administrative Information
- What is a signal? (1.1)
- What is a system? (1.2)
- Classification of signals (1.4)
- Basic operations on signals(1.5)

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

What is a system? (1)

Two keywords: signal and system #relationship?
Example: Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
Structure: components/elements and their
composition
Behavior: inputs/processing/outputs of material,
energy, information, etc.
Interconnectivity: functional and structural
relationships among parts
Functions
ABS system: 06_Reference\Videos\EV\Safety (6 mins)
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Chengbin Ma

ABS system

Components, Signals, and the ABS System

Wheel
Sensor

Control
Unit
Pulses
(Electrical Signal)

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Modulator
Unit
Control
Command
(Electrical Signal)

Hydraulic
Pressure
(Mechanical Signal)

Slide 9

Brake
Disc

Wheel
Braking Force
(Mechanical Signal)

Chengbin Ma

What is a system? (2)

From Latin Systma
System is a set of interacting or interdependent
components forming an integrated whole.
A system is a set of ? and ? . Components + Relationships
The relationships can be abstracted as signal flows
(electrical, magnetic, mechanical, optical, thermal,
etc.) #refer to the previous ABS system.
Wheel
Sensor

Control
Unit
Pulses
(Electrical Signal)

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Modulator
Unit
Control
Command
(Electrical Signal)

Hydraulic
Pressure
(Mechanical Signal)

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Brake
Disc

Wheel
Braking Force
(Mechanical Signal)

Chengbin Ma

What is a signal?

Keywords:
Act/event/physical quantity,
transmit/convey,
message/information, etc.,
i.e., a carrier of
? .
Relationship with system:
refer to the ABS system
(synergetic integration of
hardware and software)
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Chengbin Ma

Information and Computer Science

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Chengbin Ma

Engineering and Physics

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Chengbin Ma

Social/cognitive sciences and

management research

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Strategic Thinking

Colonel Warden as Commandant of

the Air Command and Staff College (1992)

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Chengbin Ma

Class#1
- Administrative Information
- What is a signal? (1.1)
- What is a system? (1.2)
- Classification of signals (1.4)
- Basic operations on signals(1.5)

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Continuous-time/Discrete-time Signals
A discrete-time signal is often
derived from a continuous-time
signal by sampling it at a uniform
rate.

Defined only at discrete

Instants of time

Defined for all time t

Parentheses () are used to denote continuous-valued quantities, while brackets []

are used to denote discrete-valued quantities.
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Chengbin Ma

An Example: Integrator
(Analog)

(Digital)

Continuous

Discrete

x[n] x(nTs ) , n 0,1,2,

xk
xk-1

Vo
+

yk-1

kT

xk xk 1
yk yk 1
T
2

Av(s) = -Z1/Z2= -1/(RCs)

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(k-1)T

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Software-based (programmable)
Easy and flexible implementation
Tradeoff between accuracy and cost
Chengbin Ma

symmetric about the vertical axis

Even and Odd Signals

Even signal (symmetric about the vertical axis): x(-t) = x(t)
time origin
Odd signal (anti-symmetric about the vertical
axis): x(-t) = -x(t)
Even-odd decomposition: Given an arbitrary signal, we may
develop an even-odd decomposition of that signal.
antisymmetric
about the
time origin

x(t ) x(t ) x(t ) x(t )

x(t )

2
2
x(t ) x(t )
xe (t )
: even component
2
x(t ) x(t )
xo (t )
: odd component
2
#class1_decomposition.m

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Even and Odd Signals

Conjugate symmetry: A complex-valued signal x(t) is said to
be conjugate symmetric if x(t ) x* (t )

x(t ) a(t ) jb(t )

x(t ) a(t ) jb(t ), x (t ) a(t ) jb(t )
*

x(t ) x (t ) a(t ) a(t ), b(t ) b(t )

*

Real part is
even

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Imaginary part is
odd

Chengbin Ma

Periodical/Non-periodical Signals
Continuous-time signal:
x(t ) x(t T ) for all t;
fundamental period: the smallest T

Discrete-time signal:

Fundamental frequency: f

x[n] x[n N ] for all n;

fundamental period: the smallest N

Examples:

Fundamental frequency:

x(t)=cos(2t): periodic, with fundamental period of

x[n]=cos[2n]: non-periodic (Why?)
x[n]=cos[2n] : periodic, with fundamental period of 1 sample

#class1_period.m
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Chengbin Ma

Energy and Power of Signals (1)

The (normalized) instantaneous power of a
signal:
Periodic signals and random signals are
p (t ) x(t ) , p[n] x[n]
2

usually viewed as power signals, whereas

signals that are both deterministic and
nonperiodic are usually viewed as energy
signals.

Total energy of the signal:

E lim

x(t )

x[n]

dt x(t ) dt
2

n
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Chengbin Ma

Energy and Power of Signals (2)

Average power of the signal:
1
P lim
T 2T

x(t )

dt

N
1
2
P lim
x[n]

N 2 N 1
n N

# For a periodic signal, its average power is defined as:

T

1
1
2
P x(t ) dt or P
T 0
N
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N 1

x[n]

n 0

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Chengbin Ma

Energy and Power of Signals (3)

Root Mean Square (RMS) value of the
periodic signal (IMPORTANT)
the square root of the average power
An AC voltage (or current) is often expressed as a
root mean square (RMS) value, written as Vrms,
because
Ptime average = Vrms2/R
T2

X rms

1
2

x(t ) dt

T2 - T1 T1

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Deterministic/Random signals
Deterministic signal: a signal about which there is no
uncertainty with respect to its value at any time. Namely,
deterministic signals may be modeled as completely specified
functions of time.

Random signal: a signal about which there is uncertainty

before it occurs. A random signal has a certain probability of
occurrence.
Three examples of EEG
(electroencephalography) signals
recorded from the hippocampus of
a rat. Neurobiological studies
suggest that the hippocampus plays
a key role in certain aspects of
learning and memory.
UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Class#1
- Administrative Information
- What is a signal? (1.1)
- What is a system? (1.2)
- Classification of signals (1.4)
- Basic operations on signals(1.5)

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Dependent/Independent Variables
For example, x and y. If every value of x is associated
with exactly one value of y, then y is said to be a
function of x.
It is customary to use x for what is called the
"independent variable", and y for what is called the
"dependent variable" because its value depends on the
value of x.
Namely, for y=f(x), y is dependent variable and x is
the independent variable.
UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Basic Operation on Signals

Operations for dependent variables:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Amplitude scaling
Addition
Multiplication
Differentiation
Integration

Operations for independent variables:

1. Time scaling
2. Reflection (Time reversal)
3. Time shifting

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Chengbin Ma

Amplitude Scaling
The signal resulting from amplitude scaling
applied to a signal is defined by

y (t ) cx (t )
y[n] cx[n]

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Chengbin Ma

Addition
The signal obtained by the addition of two
signals is defined by

y (t ) x1 (t ) x2 (t )
y[n] x1[n] x2 [n]

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Chengbin Ma

Multiplication
The signal resulting from the multiplication of
two signals is defined by

y (t ) x1 (t ) x2 (t )
y[n] x1[n]x2 [n]

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Chengbin Ma

Differentiation/Difference

The derivative/first difference of a signal with

respect to time is defined by

d
y (t ) x(t )
dt
y[n] x[n] x[n 1]

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Chengbin Ma

Integration/Accumulation
The integral/running sum of a signal with
respect to time is defined by
t

y (t )

x( )d

y[n]

x[k ]

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Chengbin Ma

Time Scaling
Definition

y (t ) x(at )
y[n] x[kn], k 0

Pay special attention to

the loss of signals on page
28

- Time-scaling operation; (a) continuous-time signal x(t), (b) version of x(t)

compressed by a factor of 2, and (c) version of x(t) expanded by a factor
of 2.

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma

Reflection
Definition

y (t ) x(t )
y[n] x[n]
- Operation of reflection: (a) continuous-time signal x(t) and (b) reflected
version of x(t) about the origin.

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Chengbin Ma

Time Shifting
Definition

y (t ) x(t t0 )
y[n] x[n n0 ]
Time-shifting operation: (a) continuous-time signal in the form of a
rectangular pulse of amplitude 1.0 and duration 1.0, symmetric about the
origin; and (b) time-shifted version of x(t) by 2 time shifts.

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Chengbin Ma

Combination of Time Shifting and Time Scaling

Precedence rule for time shifting and time

scaling: The time-shifting operation is
performed first on signal, but why?
3-min Quiz: for x(t), what are the results when
First time-shifting by b, then time scaling by a,
First time scaling by a, then time shifting by b,
Respectively?

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Chengbin Ma

An Example

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Chengbin Ma

Homework
Problem 1.9 from (a) to (h)
Problem 1.42 (a)(c)(d)(e)

- Due: 2:00PM next Thursday

UM-SJTU Joint Institute

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Chengbin Ma