COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES

ELECTRONIC, ELECTRICAL
& COMPUTER ENGINEERING

EE1F1
Introduction to Information Engineering

2009/10 Summer Examination Paper

and Specimen Solutions
A21088 Calculators may be used in this
examination but must not be used to store
text. Calculators with the ability to store
text should have their memories deleted
prior to the start of the examination.

Single Honours Degrees of BEng & MEng

Electronic & Electrical Engineering
Electronic & Computer Engineering
Electronic & Communication Engineering
Computer Systems Engineering
Communication Systems Engineering
Computer & Communication Systems Engineering
Electronic Engineering
Computer Interactive Systems

Single Honours Degrees of BSc/MSci

Multimedia Computer Systems
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
(School of Electronic, Electrical & Computer Engineering)

First Examination

0411186 EE1F1

INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION ENGINEERING

SUMMER EXAMINATION 2010

Time Allowed: 1 hours
Candidates should attempt any TWO questions

The marks allocated to each part of each question are shown in square brackets
in the right-hand margin.

TURN OVER
1
A21088 Any Calculator

1. (a) Consider a signal S which, after sampling and quantising, takes values
in the set {2E, E, 0, -E, -2E}, where E stands for the TTL voltage.

(i) Indicate two main advantages of digital signals over analogue

signals. [2]
(ii) Determine the number of bits per sample for the signal S. [3]
(iii) Assume that the signal S is sampled at frequency of 1000
samples per second. Determine the bit rate in bytes per second.
[3]
(iv) Explain the relationship between the minimum sampling rate and
the bandwidth of the signal. [2]

(b) Consider a source X generating only four characters a, c, e and f.

Assume the numbers of occurrences of these characters are 2, 5, 1
and 4, respectively.

(i) Determine the probability of occurrence of each character. [3]

(ii) Determine the information content of each element of the

source. [3]

(iii) Determine the entropy of source X. [2]

(iv) Determine the new number of occurrences of each character

generated by the source X if one desires to maximise the
entropy of the source. [2]

2. (a) Consider a source A of five elements Ai (i=1 to 5) such that P(A1)=0.2;

P(A2)=0.3; P(A3)=0.1; P(A4)=0.15; P(A5)=0.25.

(i) Explain the purpose and basis of Shannon-Fano coding [3]

(ii) Derive the Shannon-Fano code and determine the code for each
element Ai (i=1 to 5). Calculate the average number of bits by
symbol. [6]
(iii) Show that the codes obtained in ii) are uniquely decodeable. [2]
(iv) Explain the relationship between the entropy of the source and
the minimum average number of bits per symbol. [1]

2 TURN OVER
A21088 Any Calculator

Question 2 Continued

(b) (i) Explain why the Manchester coding requires twice the bandwidth
of bipolar coding. [2]

(ii) Explain why AMI line coding has no DC component. [2]

(c) Consider a channel with a frequency range from 300Hz to 2100Hz.

Estimate the maximum rate at which data may be transmitted over
such a channel if ASK modulation is employed, assuming the
modulated wave contains up to second order harmonic terms. State the
carrier frequency that must be used. [4]

3. (a) Consider the structure of data constituted of 4 data bits and one parity
bit. Let A be the codeword 10110.

(i) Explain the main limitations of such a format in terms of error

correction. [2]
(ii) Suggest a check matrix H such that H. cT = 0 for a correct
codeword c, and 1 otherwise. Use the suggested H to check the
validity of codeword A. [4]
(iii) Identify two valid codewords situated at a distance 1 from A [2]

(iv) Identify an error vector e containing only one single 1 and all
other components are zero-valued such that A T =cTv +eT
( cTv stands for a valid codeword of A). [2]

(v) Explain why Hamming (7,4) error correction cannot be employed

for the above codewords. [2]

(b) Consider a 2 KHz channel capacity with a 6-level signalling.

(i) Compare bit rate to channel capacity when the signal to noise
ratio is 30 dB. [4]

(ii) Explain the purpose of the Nyquist pulse and give an example.
[2]

(iii) Rank the following in order of increasing theoretical data rate:

wire lines; optical fibre; coaxial lines. [2]

3 END OF PAPER
 Module: EE1F1 Year: 2009-10 Question: 1
Type: Sessional Level: UG Examiner: MO
ELECTRONIC, ELECTRICAL
& COMPUTER ENGINEERING Marks allocated: 20/20 Page 1 / 1

SOLUTION TO EXAMINATION QUESTION

Module Code: Ac. Year: Type: Level: Examiner: Question No:
EE1F1 2009-10 Sessional UG MO 1
(e.g. 2009-10) (Sessional/Resit/Special) (e.g. LC)

Marks
Part Solution
allocated
a i) 2
- Compatibility with computers and Digital Signal Processing units

- Viability of signal regeneration

ii) There are 5 distinct values on the set, this requires 3 bits (since 23 =8) while 2 3
bits were not enough since 22 =4 < 5.

iii) Bit rate = number of bits per sample x number of samples per second = 3 x 3
1000=3000 bits/s

iv) The minimum sampling rate = 2 x bandwidth. 2

b i)
Probability of occurrence of x = number of occurrences of x / total occurrences of 3
all symbols
P(a) = 2 /(2+5+1+4) = 2/12 = 1/6
P(c) = 5/(2+5+1+4) = 5/12
P(e) = 1/12
P(f) = 4/12 = 1/3

ii)
Information content of x =I(x) = - log(P(x)) 3
I(a) = -log2(1/6) = log2(6) = 2.58
I(c) = -log2(5/12) = log2(12/5) = 1.26
I(e) = -log2(1/12) = log2(12) = 3.58
I(f) = -log2(3/4) = log2(4/3) = 0.41

iii) H= P(a).I(a) +P(c).I(c) +P(e).I(e) + P(f).I(f) 2

= 2.58 (1/6) + 1.26(5/12) + 3.58(1/12) +0.41(3/4) = 1.56

iv) The entropy of the source is maximal if all the symbols are equally probable.
Therefore, given that there are 4 symbols, the probability of each symbol should be 2
= 0.25. For a total of 12 occurrences of all symbol, this yields 12/4 = 3
occurrence of each symbol.
 Module: EE1F1 Year: 2009-10 Question: 2
Type: Sessional Level: UG Examiner: MO
ELECTRONIC, ELECTRICAL
& COMPUTER ENGINEERING Marks allocated: 20/20 Page 1 / 2

SOLUTION TO EXAMINATION QUESTION

Module Code: Ac. Year: Type: Level: Examiner: Question No:
EE1F1 2009-10 Sessional UG MO 2
(e.g. 2009-10) (Sessional/Resit/Special) (e.g. LC)

Marks
Part Solution
allocated
a i) Shannon-Fano coding algorithm starts by ordering the symbols in descending 3
order of their probabilities. Next, it divides the set of symbols into two sections
such that the total probability of the first section is close as possible to the total
probability of the second section. Next, assign a bit 0 for top section and 1 for
bottom section. The above process is repeated for both the top and top sections
until the section contains only one single element.

ii)
A2 (0.3) 0.55 0.3 0
0
A5 (0.25) 0.25 1 6

A1 (0.2) 0.2 0
1
A4 (0.15) 0.45 0.15 0

A3 (0.1) 0.25 1 0.1 1

Codes:
A2 00
A5 01
A1 10
A4 110
A3 111

Average number of bits per symbol = number of bits of A1 x probability of A1 +

number of bits of A2 x probability of A2 + ...+ number of bits of A5 x probability
of A5
= 2(0.2) + 2(0.3)+3(0.1) + 3(0.15) +2(0.25) = 2.25

(Give 4 points for graph construction, 1 point for correct code, and 1 point for
average bit number calculation)

iii) A2 code is uniquely decodeable since there is no other code among the symbol 2
codes starting with 00, idem for 01, 10, 110 and 111.

iv) The entropy rate of the data source is equivalent to the average number of bits 1
per symbol needed to encode it. Also, in Shannons definition of entropy, the latter
determines the minimum channel capacity to reliably transmit the source as
 Module: EE1F1 Year: 2009-10 Question: 2
Type: Sessional Level: UG Examiner: MO
ELECTRONIC, ELECTRICAL
& COMPUTER ENGINEERING Marks allocated: 20/20 Page 2 / 2

SOLUTION TO EXAMINATION QUESTION Continuation Sheet

Marks
Part Solution
allocated
encoded binary digits.

b i ) Manchester coding requires twice bandwidth because for every time interval of a 2
single digit (bit period), there is a transition at the middle where in the first half
matches the information bit and the second half is its complement.

ii ) AMI line coding has no DC component because the 1 representation changes 2

polarity, therefore, any DC component appeared in the first one will get
compensated by that of the second 1 in the sequence of digits.

c ASK has a symmetrical spectrum about a carrier frequency. Therefore, the carrier
frequency must be in the centre of the available bandwidth. So, carrier frequency fc
= (300+2100)/2 = 1200Hz
The ASK modulating signal has frequency components at the fundamental 4
frequency f1 and also at multiple three times that frequency, so the bandwidth W is:
W =(fc+3f1)-(fc-3f1) = 6f1.
Since there are 2bits/Hz of fundamental frequency f1, we can relate the signalling
rate to bandwidth as f1=R/2 or R=2f1 = W/3 = (2100-300)/3 = 900 Hz/s
 Module: EE1F1 Year: 2009-10 Question: 3
Type: Sessional Level: UG Examiner: MO
ELECTRONIC, ELECTRICAL
& COMPUTER ENGINEERING Marks allocated: 20/20 Page 1 / 2

SOLUTION TO EXAMINATION QUESTION

Module Code: Ac. Year: Type: Level: Examiner: Question No:
EE1F1 2009-10 Sessional UG MO 3
(e.g. 2009-10) (Sessional/Resit/Special) (e.g. LC)

Marks
Part Solution
allocated
a i) This representation only allows us to check the validity of the input in overall 2
but cannot identify which bit is faulty. For instance, several representations of
data yields the same parity bit, i.e., 10010, 10100, 11000, 00110, 01010 are all
validcodewords.

ii)

H= [1 1 1 1 1]
1
0
4
For codeword A. H. AT = [1 1 1 1 1]. 1 = 1

1
0
This shows that A is not a valid codeword

iii) The codewords 10111 and 11110 are situated at distance 1 from A 2
iv) [1 0 1 1 0] T = [1 1 1 1 0] T + [0 1 0 0 0]T. So, e =[0 1 0 0 0]. 2
v) In the Hamming code, there is a need to have a codeword of length 7 while it is 2
only 5 in the previous case, so Hamming (7,4) cannot be used.

b i)
First 6-level signalling requires 3 bits representation (23=8, while 2 bits yields only 4
22=4 level signalling) 2000Hz channel capacity with 6 level-signalling yields
Bite rate = 2 * bandwidth *number of bits = 2 *2000*3 = 12000 bits /s.
The Channel capacity is given by C =W log2(1+SNR)
30dB SNR is equivalent to 10 log10(S/N) = 30, so S/N = 103 = 1000
So, C = 2000 log2(1+1000) = 19934 bits/s = 19.93 Kb/s

ii) The Nyquist pulse is the one that meets the Nyquist IST criterion describing the
conditions which, when satisfied by the communication system, results in no 2
intersymbol interference. Examples of functions that meet this requirements are the
sinc function, i.e., sinc(x) = sin(x) / x.
 Module: EE1F1 Year: 2009-10 Question: 3
Type: Sessional Level: UG Examiner: MO
ELECTRONIC, ELECTRICAL
& COMPUTER ENGINEERING Marks allocated: 20/20 Page 2 / 2

SOLUTION TO EXAMINATION QUESTION Continuation Sheet

Marks
Part Solution
allocated

iii)
data rate of wire lines < data rate of coaxial lines < data rate of optical fibre 2