SIGNALS & SYSTEMS (MCT-321)

Lecture No. 1

Introduction

Muhammad Ahsan Naeem

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Department of Mechatronics and Control Engineering

University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
WHAT IS A SIGNAL?
A signal conveys information about the state or
behavior of a physical system

It is a measured quantity that varies with time (or

position)

Examples:
Voltage: Represented as a function over time 1D
signal
Image signal: Represented as an intensity function of
two spatial variables 2D signal
Video signal: A sequence of images spanning over a
period of time 3D signal 2
SIGNAL
The Speech Signal

The ECG Signal

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CHARACTERIZATION OF SIGNALS:
Continuous time signals vs. discrete time signals
Continuous valued signals vs. discrete valued
signals
Continuous time and continuous valued: Analog signal
Discrete time and continuous valued: Sampled signal
Continuous time and discrete valued: Quantized signal
Discrete time and discrete values: Digital signal
Real-valued signals vs. complex-valued signals
Single channel vs. multi-channel signals
Deterministic vs. random signal
One-dimensional vs. two-dimensional vs. multi-
dimensional signals 4
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IDENTIFY THE SIGNAL TYPE

Voltmeter Wall
Clock

Thermo
meter
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 IDENTIFY THE SIGNAL TYPE

Population
Data

Stock
Market Data 7
 IDENTIFY THE SIGNAL TYPE

Hourly
Temperature
Measurement
Data

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 Any physical quantity that is represented as a
function of an independent variable is called a
signal. (independent variables can be time,
frequency, space etc)
Every signal carries information. However, not all
that information is typically of interest to the user.
The goal of signal processing is to extract the
useful information from the signal
The part of the signal that is not useful is called
noise.
Noise is not necessarily noisy. Any part of the signal we
are not interested in is by definition noise. 9
System
A collection of items that together performs a
function
Modifies / transforms an input to give an output

Represented by

x(t) System y(t) = T{x(t)}

T{ }

ex. A squaring system

x(t) T = input2 y(t) = T{x(t)} = x2(t)

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SYSTEM EXAMPLES
Real-World Examples of Systems
Circuits
Car
Inputs Steering wheel, force on accelerometer
and brakes
Outputs Position of car, velocity
Chemical processes
Electromechanical systems (motors)
Economics, stock market
Biological processes (heart)

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SO WHAT IS SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS?
This course trains students for an intermediate level
of fluency with signals and systems in both
continuous time and discrete time (analysis and
operations), in preparation for more advanced
subjects in digital signal processing (including audio,
image and video processing), communication theory,
and system theory, control, and robotics.

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 CONTINUOUS TIME SIGNALS
14 Properties and Operations
Unit Step Function u(t)

1 t0 1
u t
0 t0
t
0

Used to characterize systems

We will use u(t) to illustrate the properties of continuous-time signals

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Unit Impulse/Delta Function (t)
1
1 Area = 1 2
t
Let t 2
0 otherwise
t

t lim 0 t
Infinitely narrow
0 t0
Infinitely tall t
Always has area = 1
undefined t 0
Represents and
(1) Area
d 1

(Area = 1)
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t
Properties of (t)
Relationship to the Step Function

ut d
t
Area of (t) always equals 1

dut
t
dt
Other Properties
t t

at t
1
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a
SIGNUM FUNCTION
1 , t 0

sgn t 0 , t 0 2 u t 1
1 , t 0

Precise Graph Commonly-Used Graph

The signum function, is closely related to the unit-step

function. 18
RAMP FUNCTION

Unit ramp function, r(t)

Starts at a given time

t t0
r t tu t
0 t0
t
The unit ramp function is the integral of the unit
step function.
It is called the unit ramp function because for 19
positive t, its slope is one amplitude unit per time.
EXPONENTIAL SIGNALS
x(t) = ceat
a<0 a>0
if c and a are real

a=0

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SINUSOIDAL WAVEFORMS

xt A cos0t A sin 0t
2
A = Amplitude
0 = Radian Frequency
= Phase Delay

2 T
0 2f A
T

t
-/0

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OPERATIONS OF CT SIGNALS
1. Addition /Subtraction y(t) = x1(t) + x2(t)
2. Multiplication y(t) = x1(t)x2(t)
3. Time Shifting y(t) = x(t-td)
4. Time Scaling y(t) = x(at)
5. Time Reversal y(t) = x(-t)
6. Amplitude Scaling y(t) = Bx(t)

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TIME SHIFTING
The original signal x(t) is shifted by an amount t.

X(t)X(t-to) Signal Delayed Shift to the

right

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TIME SHIFTING CONTD.
X(t)X(t+to) Signal Advanced Shift to the left

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TIME SCALING
For the given function x(t), x(at) is the time scaled
version of x(t)
For a 1,period of function x(t) reduces and function
speeds up. Graph of the function shrinks.
For a 1, the period of the x(t) increases and the
function slows down. Graph of the function expands.

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 TIME SCALING CONTD.

Example: Given x(t) and we are to find y(t) = x(2t).

The period of x(t) is 2 and the period of y(t) is 1,

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 TIME SCALING CONTD.
Given y(t),
find w(t) = y(3t)
and v(t) = y(t/3).

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TIME REVERSAL
Time reversal is also called time folding
In Time reversal signal is reversed with respect to
time i.e.
y(t) = x(-t) is obtained for the given function

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TIME REVERSAL CONTD.

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COMBINATION OF OPERATIONS
What if more than one operations are performed?
e.g.

t 2
x
4

t
x 2
4

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EVEN AND ODD FUNCTIONS
Even Functions Odd Functions
gt gt gt gt

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EVEN AND ODD FUNCTIONS

g t g t
The even part of a function is g e t
2
g t g t
The odd part of a function is g o t
2
A function whose even part is zero, is odd and a function
whose odd part is zero, is even.

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VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF EVEN AND ODD
FUNCTIONS
Function type Sum Difference Product Quotient

Both even Even Even Even Even

Both odd Odd Odd Even Even

Even and odd Neither Neither Odd Odd

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PRODUCT OF EVEN AND ODD FUNCTIONS
Product of Two Even Functions

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PRODUCT OF EVEN AND ODD FUNCTIONS
CONTD.
Product of an Even Function and an Odd Function

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PRODUCT OF EVEN AND ODD FUNCTIONS
CONTD.
Product of an Even Function and an Odd Function

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PRODUCT OF EVEN AND ODD FUNCTIONS
CONTD.
Product of Two Odd Functions

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 PERIODIC SIGNALS
Signal that repeats itself every T seconds
T=period of the signal
A signal is periodic if
x(t) = x(t + T), where T>0 for all t
Therefore, replace t with t+T
x(t + T) = x(t + 2T)
Also, x(t) = x(t + nT), n = integer
Fundamental period = minimum T that satisfies x(t)
= x(t + T)
T0
f0 = 1/T0
0 = 2f0 = 2/T0 38
 PERIODIC SIGNALS
ex. Is x(t) periodic? If so, find the fundamental period of x(t)

x(t)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 t

x(t) is periodic with fundamental period T0 = 4

because x(t) = x(t + 4) for all values of t

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PERIODIC SIGNALS
Time scaling applied to periodic signals
Let y(t) = x(at)

y(t) has period = T/|a|

x(t)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 t

ex. Let y(t) = x(2t), sketch y(t) and find the fundamental period of y(t)

The period of y(t), Ty = T/|2| = 4/|2| = 2

y(t)

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 t