Connexions module: m11542 1

Introduction to Convolution ∗

Anders Gjendemsjø
This work is produced by The Connexions Project and licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution License †

Abstract
Introduction to the convolution chapter
In addition to the operations performed on signals in the Signals chapter there are several more. The
1

most important operation is linear ltering, which can be performed by convolution. The reason that linear
ltering is so important to signal processing is that it solves many problems and that is relatively simple to
describe mathematically. In this chapter we will be looking at convolution.
Convolution helps to determine the eect a system has on an input signal. It can be shown that a linear,
time-invariant system is completely characterized by its impulse response. Using the sampling property
2 3

of the delta function for for continuous time signals and the unit sample for discrete time signals we can
4 5

decompose a signal into an innite sum / integral of scaled and shifted impulses. By knowing how a system
aects a single impulse, and by understanding the way a signal is comprised of scaled and summed impulses,
it seems reasonable that it should be possible to scale and sum the impulse responses of a system in order to
determine what output signal will results from a particular input. This is precisely what convolution does
- convolution determines the system's output from knowledge of the input and the system's
impulse response.

Contents of this chapter

• Introduction (current module)

• Convolution - Discrete time 6

• Convolution - Continuous time 7

• Properties of convolution 8

∗ Version 1.3: Nov 6, 2003 2:42 pm US/Central

† http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0
1 "Discrete time signals" <http://cnx.org/content/m11476/latest/>
2 "System Classications and Properties" <http://cnx.org/content/m10084/latest/>
3 "Analog signals": Section The (Dirac) delta function <http://cnx.org/content/m11478/latest/#s2s1>
4 "Analog signals": Section The (Dirac) delta function <http://cnx.org/content/m11478/latest/#s2s1>
5 "Discrete time signals": Section The unit sample <http://cnx.org/content/m11476/latest/#s3s1>
6 "Convolution - Discrete time" <http://cnx.org/content/m11539/latest/>
7 "Convolution - Analog" <http://cnx.org/content/m11540/latest/>
8 "Properties of Convolution" <http://cnx.org/content/m10088/latest/>

http://cnx.org/content/m11542/1.3/