Table of Laplace and Z Transforms

Laplace and Z Transforms

Laplace Properties

Z Xform Properties

Using this table for Z Transforms with Discrete Indices

Shortened 2-page pdf of Laplace Transforms and Properties
Shortened 2-page pdf of Z Transforms and Properties
All time domain functions are implicitly=0 for t<0 (i.e. they are multiplied by unit
step).
Entry
unit
impuls
e
unit
step
ramp

parabo
la
tn
(n is
intege
r)
expon
ential
power
time
multip
lied
expon

Laplace
Domain

Time Domain (note)

unit impulse

(note)

Z Domain
(t=kT)

ential
Asymp
totic
expon
ential
double
expon
ential
asymp
totic
double
expon
ential
asymp
totic
critical
ly
dampe
d
differe
ntiate
d
critical
ly
dampe
d
sine

cosine
decayi
ng
sine

decayi
ng
cosine
generi
c
decayi
ng
oscilla
tory
generi
c
decayi
ng
oscilla
tory
(altern
ate)
Zdomai
n
generi
c
decayi
ng
oscilla
tory

(note)

(note)

Prototype Second Order System (<1, underdampded)

Protot
ype
2nd
order
lowpas
s
step
respon
se
Protot
ype
2nd

order
lowpas
s
impuls
e
respon
se
Protot
ype
2nd
order
bandp
ass
impuls
e
respon
se

Using this table for Z Transforms with discrete indices

Commonly the "time domain" function is given in terms of a discrete index, k, rather
than time. This is easily accommodated by the table. For example if you are given
a function:

Since t=kT, simply replace k in the function definition by k=t/T. So, in this case,

and we can use the table entry for the ramp

The answer is then easily obtained

References
Copyright 2005 to 2015 Erik Cheever
educational purposes.

Comments?
Erik Cheever

This page may be freely used for

Questions?
Suggestions?
Corrections?
Department of Engineering
Swarthmore College

Z Transforms
Why Are Z Transforms Used?
The Z Transform
Signals With Multiple Poles
Important Facts About Z Transforms
Problems
You are at: Basic Concepts - Background From Linear Systems/Transforms - ZTransforms - Application To Systems
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Why Are Z Transforms Used?

You should know that Laplace transform methods are widely used for analysis
in linear systems. Laplace transform methods are used when a system is described
by a linear differential equation, with constant coefficients. However:

There are numerous systems that are described by difference equations - not
differential equations - and those systems are common and different from
those described by differential equations.

Systems that satisfy difference equations include things like:

o

Computer controlled systems - systems that take measurements with

digital I/O boards or GPIB instruments, calculate an output voltage and
output that voltage digitally. Frequently these systems run a program
loop that executes in a fixed interval of time.

Other systems that satisfy difference equations are those systems with
Digital Filters - which are found anywhere digital signal processing - digital
filtering is done. That includes:
o

Digital signal transmission systems like the telephone system.

Systems that process audio signals. For example, a CD contains digital

signal information, and when it is read off the CD, it is initially a digital
signal that can be processed with a digital filter.

At this point, there are an incredible number of systems we use every day that
have digital components which satisfy difference equations.
In continuous systems Laplace transforms play a unique role. They allow
system and circuit designers to analyze systems and predict performance, and to
think in different terms - like frequency responses - to help understand linear
continuous systems. They are a very powerful tool that shapes how engineers think
about those systems. Z-transforms play the role in sampled systems that Laplace
transforms play in continuous systems.

In continuous systems, inputs and outputs are related by differential

equations and Laplace transform techniques are used to solve those
differential equations.

In sampled systems, inputs and outputs are related by difference equations

and Z-transform techniques are used to solve those differential equations.

In continuous systems, Laplace transforms are used to represent systems with

transfer functions, while in sampled systems, Z-transforms are used to represent
systems with transfer functions.
There are numerous sampled systems that look like the one shown below.

An analog signal is converted to a digital form in an A/D.

The digital signal is processed somehow.

The processed digital signal is converted to an analog signal for use in the
analog world.
The processing can take many forms.

In a voice transmission situation, the processing might be to band-limit the

signal and filter noise from the signal.

In a control situation, a measurement might be processed to calculate a

signal to control a system.

And there are many other situations.

Goals
In sampled systems you will deal with sequences of samples, and you will need
to learn Z-transform techniques to deal with those signals. In this lesson many of
your goals relate to basic understanding and use of Z-transform techniques. In
particular, work toward these goals.

Given a sequence of samples in time,

o

Be able to calculate the Z-transform of the sequence for simple

sequences.

Given a Z-transform,
o

Be able to determine the poles and zeroes of the Z-transform.

Be able to locate and plot the poles and zeroes in the z-plane.

Later you will need to learn about transfer functions in the realm of sampled
systems. As you move through this lesson, there are other things you should learn.

Given a Z-transform of a signal, and the pole locations,

o

Be able to relate distance from the origin to decay rate.

Be able to relate angle off the horizontal to the number of samples in a

cycle of signal oscillation.

What Is A Z Transform?
You will be dealing with sequences of sampled signals. Let us assume that we
have a sequence, yk. The subscript "k" indicates a sampled time interval and that
yk is the value of y(t) at the kth sample instant.

yk could be generated from a sample of a time function. For example:

o

yk = y(kT), where y(t) is a continuous time function, and T is the

sampling interval.

We will focus on the index variable, k, rather than the exact time, kT, in
all that we do in this lesson.

It's easy to get a sequence of this sort if a computer is running an A/D board,
and measuring some physical variable like temperature or pressure at some
prescribed interval, T seconds. A sampled sequence like this plays the same role
that a continuous signal plays in a continuous system. It carries information just like
a continuous signal.
The Z transform, Y[z], of a sequence, yk is defined as:

We will use the following notation. A large "z" denotes the operation of taking a Ztransform (i.e., performing the sum above) and the result is usually denoted with an
upper-case version of the variable used for the sampled time function, y k.

Z[yk] = Y[z]

The definition is simple. Take the sequence, and multiply each term in the
sequence by a negative power of z. Then sum all of the terms to infinity. That's it.
Let's look at the transform of some simple functions to show how this definition
works.

Example

E1 We are going to calculate the Z-transform of a simple sequence. So that you

can see the sequence in all its glory, we have a sequence calculator for you. The
expression for the sequence is:

yk = yoak

To use the calculator, input a in the text box and click the Start button. If you want
to see the sequence for a different value of a, click the Clear button to clear the
plot, enter a new value for a and click the Start button to replot. We have used a
value of 1.0 for the starting value.

The simulator lets you see the sequence for different values of a. We want to get
the Z-transform of the sequence for a general value of a. To do that we calculate
the sum above.

But, we know that yk = yoak. Put that expression into the sum to get.

If you do the last sum, you should find.Then we get:

Y[z] = 1/[1 - a/z] = z/[z - a]

And we see that this function has a pole at z = a, and a zero at z = 0.

The pole is in the right half of the z-plane.

Despite that, this is the transform of a signal that decays to zero!

Things work differently in the z-plane. It's not the same as the s-plane where a
pole must be in the left half of the s-plane to represent a function that decays to
zero. Here, for a function to decay to zero, the pole must be inside the unit circle shown in red on the plot. Here is an example.

Example
E2 You have a decaying sampled signal. The signal is 2.0*(.9)k. The Z-transform of
the signal is:

2z/(z - 0.9)

We can plot the pole and zero for this function, and that plot is shown below.

Let's think about this signal a little bit more.

This signal decays to zero, just like a decaying exponential (like e -t/t)

This signal could, conceivably, have been generated by sampling a decaying

exponential.

In the sampled world, this signal is probably going to play the same role as
the decaying exponential plays in the continuous world.

In the sampled world, the transform of this signal has a pole at z = a. In the
continuous world, the transform of e-t/t has a pole at s = -1/t.

Now, let's look at another signal. We'll just change things by making a
negative. That won't change the algebra that we do, but it will change how the
function looks.

Example
E3 We are going to calculate the Z-transform of another sequence. The only
difference from the last situation is that we are going to consider negative values for
a. We didn't look at negative values before, but we did ignore the possibility. It's
time to rectify that.

We still have the same expression for the sequence.

yk = yoak

In the calculator, you can input negative values for both the starting value. You
should notice and think about the following points. Try both of those possibilities,
and then ponder the following.

When a is negative, successive points in the plot alternate sign. In other

words, there are oscillations, but they only take two sample periods.
Remember that behavior. We'll revisit it later when we consider multiple real
poles.

When you take the Z-transform, this function has a single pole at z = -a.
o

Can you sketch where the pole is when a = -0.5?

The simulator still works when a is larger than 1.0 or less than -1.0 (like a =
-2.5). However, the response is not well behaved for those values.
o

Where is the pole for a larger than 1.0 or less than -1.0?

Observations & Comments

When we do the algebra for the sequence in the example above, we have

yk = yoak

That's what we have been working with.

The transform is given by: Y[z] = yoz/(z - a),

We still have a pole at z = a.

If a is positive, that pole is in the right half of the z-plane, but that doesn't
bother us in the z-plane like it does in the s-plane. If a is positive, as long as
a < 1, the response settles out. If a > 1, the response grows without limit.

If a is negative, the pole is in the left half plane, and it is on the negative real
axis. Interestingly that leads to oscillations that decay. You can't get
oscillations in continuous systems unless you have at least two poles, so
that's something you might not have expected.
Again, it pays to compare our results to continuous signal results and to sum

up.

A decaying signal, yk = yoak, has a pole at z = a. However, unlike a decaying

exponential, if a is negative, we can have oscillations in the decaying signal.

For the oscillations to decay, we must have |a| < 1. However, a can be either
positive or negative, and that leads to the possibility of oscillations when a is
negative.

There is one other interesting correlation we can make with analog signals. In
analog signals, decaying exponentials are important. Note the following.

Say you have a decaying exponential. We can represent that with a time
constant description:
o

Now, consider sampling that decaying exponential. Assume that you sample
every T seconds. Then the kth sample (taken a t = kT) is given by:
o

Y(t) = yoe-t/t

Y(kT) = yk = yoe-kT/t = yoe(-T/t)k = yo[e(-T/t)k]

Now, you can think of this as yk = yoak with:

o

a = [e(-T/t)]

This is a pretty interesting correspondence between sampled and analog signals.

Clearly, if you sample a decaying exponential you get the kind of sequence we have
been discussing earlier. Conversely, any time you have a decaying sequence you
might want to think of the decaying sequence as a sampled decaying exponential and there may well be times when that is advantageous.

Other Sampled Signals

As with Laplace transforms there are a number of simple signals that are
important. Besides decaying signals, two important signals are the unit impulse
and the unit step. Before we go much further we will look at the Z-transforms of
those two signals because they are important.
We will first examine the unit impulse in the sampled world. We'll call that
impulse Dk.

Dkis one for n = 0.

o

In the continuous world the impulse is infinite for t = 0.

That's a big difference.

Dk is zero for all other k's - like the continuous impulse is zero for times that
are not zero.

Here is a picture of the sampled impulse, Dk.

Remember that this is a sampled signal so it is not defined except for integer
values of k.
It's pretty easy to compute the Z-transform of the unit impulse.

Earlier, we defined the Z-transform of a sequence, y k as a sum of the

sequence multipled by negative powers of z.

Dk is zero for k>0, so all those terms are zero.

Dk is one for k = 0, so that is the only term in the sum.

That means that we have:

o

Z[Dk] = Dozo = 1

We can see that the sequence, Dk, is going to play the role that the unit
impulse (Dirac Impulse) plays in continuous signals and systems. Just like the unit
impulse, the transform of Dk is 1.
Another important signal is the unit step. Here is a unit step in the sampled
signal domain.

uk is one for all k.

We use the same expression to compute the Z-transform of the unit step.
Since all samples are one, we get:
o

U[z] = 1 + z-1 + z-2 + z-3 + z-4 + . . .

U[z] = z/(z - 1)

Brush up on sums of infinite series if you're not with it for this.

To get the expression, U[z] = z/(z - 1), the series can be summed using
standard techniques from calculus. Or, you can divide out the result - z/(z - 1) - to
generate the series. Either way, you should convince yourself that the series is, in
fact, correct.
To this point we have considered some simple functions in the sampled time
domain. They include the following:

The unit impulse, Dk,

The unit step, uk,

Exponentially decaying sequences, yk = yoak

Alternating decaying sequences, which are exponentially decaying sequences

with a < 0.

There are other interesting signals. The ones considered to this point are
among the simplest and most fundamental signals. There are more complex
signals.

We haven't considered signals with more than one pole. Next, we will
consider a signal with two poles.

There are tools that you have available from work with Laplace transforms.
o

For example, with two real poles you should be able to divide the
transform into two parts, each with one real pole, using partial
fractions. Then you can analyze each part separately.

Conversely, a sequence with two decaying exponential sequences

should give two poles. That should generalize to more complex
signals.

Signals With Multiple Poles

Clearly there are lots of interesting situations with multiple poles, and we need
to examine some situations there. Let's look at a case with two real poles.

Here is the z-function:

And, the partial fraction expansion for the z-function is:

Taking the inverse Z-transform, we find the following sequence. Note Dk is a

unit impulse at k = 0.

And, you should observe that we could, in fact, have performed these steps in
the opposite order, i.e.
o

We could have started with the expression above, with two decaying
terms (.7k and.9k), and added in a unit impulse, then

We could have taken the transform of both terms, including the Dk

term, and then,

We could have combined terms to get the function we started with

above

10/[(z - 0.7)(z - 0.9)]

Example/Simulation
E4 Here is a simulator that will compute the inverse transform of:

Y[z] = 1/[(z - p1)(z - p2)]

Enter the poles in the text boxes indicated, and click the Start button.

Do the following with this simulator.

Input the values above, i.e.

o

p1 = 0.7

p2 = 0.9

Observe the result, and, in particular, note the following features.

o

The function starts at zero, reaches a peak and decays back to zero.

You should expect the response to die back to zero. Both poles here
satisfy the criterion for stability as we noted above for single poles.

The function does not start immediately. There is no zero at z = 0 as

we had earlier, and this delays the start of the signal. That will be
discussed in more detail later.

Input one negative value for a pole and observe the result, including the
following features.
o

There are now oscillations in the response. Those oscillations take only
two sample periods. as noted above for a single negative pole.

Input two negative value for the poles and observe the result, including the
following features.

The oscillations still take only two sample periods.

The oscillations are more pronounced (wilder?).

Now, at this point you have seen several signals.

The unit impulse - with a transform that is a constant.

The unit step - with a transform with a pole at the origin.

The decaying "exponential" - with a transform with a single real pole

Two exponentials - with two poles.

These signals have some interesting properties, and we can make a few
observations.

The number of decaying terms (ak terms) determines the number of poles.

In the cases we considered, the poles were real.

o

With real pole any oscilations we encountered were of the type where
the cycle period was just two sample periods, i.e. the signal went up,
then it went down, then back up, etc.

We know that there are other kinds of signals with oscillations. We especially
know that there are probably signals that take many sample periods to complete an
oscillation. Think of measuring temperature every hour during the day. If you have
two identical days in a row, you would have 24 samples in a period. In the next
section we will examine signals with those properties.

Sampled Decaying Sinusoids

A signal with two real poles is a simple case of a more general situation. In
continuous signals we often encounter decaying sinusoids. Those signals have a
time representation given below.
f(t) = e-akTsin(bt)
Note, this signal starts at zero for t = 0. A plot of a signal of this sort is shown
below.

Example
E5 Imagine that we have a decaying sinusoid - as above - and that we sample the
sinusoid at intervals of T seconds. We would have a sampled signal:
fk = f(kT) = e-akTsin(bkT)

The decaying sinusoid is similar to the alternating decaying signal, but it has
significant differences:

The signal does not alternate from positive to negative.

The signal looks like samples from a decaying sinusoid.

Now, let us consider the Z-transform of our decaying sinusoid signal.

fk = f(kT) = e-akTsin(bkT)

Now, we have to evalulate the summation. That doesn't look easy. There is
another way.

We can recognize that sin(bkT) can be represented with a sum of two

exponentials.
We can use the expansion for the sine to give us

We can take each term in this expansion separately. Let's start with the first part of
this expansion. Define a new function for this first part. Call that function f1k.
f1k = [e-akT+jbkT]

Earlier in this lesson we considered a sequence:

o

yk = yoak

We found the transform of this sequence to be

Y[z] = yo/(z - a),

Now we have a new sequence:

f1k = [e-akT+jbkT]/2j = [(e-aT-jbT)k]/2j

This new sequence is really a generalization of the simple sequence

above, so we can apply our previous result - without having to reinvent
the wheel.

There is a similar sequence for the other part of the sampled sine
function.

f2k = -[e-akT-jbkT]/2j = -[(e-aT-jbT)k]/2j

We can rewrite the new sequence as:

fk = f1k + f2k

fk = [(e-aT+jbT)k]/2j - [(e-aT-jbT)k]/2j

fk = fo[(a)k - (a*)k]
o

Note, a* is the complex conjugate of a, and a = e -aT+jbT.

fo = 1/2j

We know how to take the z transform of the sequence, f k. That sequence is just the
sum of two of the decaying signal sequences - even though we now have complex
values for "a". So, let's take the Z-transform of the sequence.

Z[fk] = fo[z/(z - a) + z/(z - a*)]

We can combine these two terms, if that is desired. The result is:

Z[fk] = fo[z/(z - a) - z/(z - a*)]

Z[fk] = fo[2Im(a)z/(z - a)(z - a*)]

We know:

fo = 1/2j

a = e-aT-jbT = e-aT[cos(bT) + jsin(bT)]

So, we have:
o

Z[fk] = fo[2Im(a)z/(z - a)(z - a*)]

Z[fk] = (1/2j)[2e-aTsin(bT)z/(z - e-aT-jbT )(z - e-aT+jbT )]

And, that is the Z-transform of the sequence:

o

fk = f(kT) = e-akTsin(bkT)

There are two poles for this signal. Those poles are at:
o

z1 = e-aT-jbT

z2 = e-aT+jbT

Here is an example plot for the two poles. Parameters are:

o

a = 0.05,

b = .3

T = 1.0

The two poles are shown in the plot below. The poles are marked with x's,
and we have shown a unit circle. The two poles lie just slightly within the unit
circle.

These poles are interesting.

The poles are complex conjugates - much like we find complex conjugate
poles for continuous systems with decaying oscillations.

The poles are in the right half of the z-plane, but they still represent decaying
oscillations - contrasting with poles in continuous systems in the left half of
the s-plane.

The poles are inside the unit circle.

o

The unit circle is the stability boundary for sampled systems, like the
imaginary axis is for continuous systems.

Just as in continuous systems, proximity to the stability boundary implies low

relative stability. Poles in the z-plane that are close to the unit circle will
produce slowly decaying oscillations just like poles in the s-plane do when
they are close to the jw-axis.

Example/Simulation
E6 Let's look at the numbers we used above. Here they are repeated.

a = 0.05,

b = .3

T = 1.0

These are the values in the expression for the sequence, f k = f(kT) = e-akTsin(bkT),
used above. With these values we can compute the pole location and the real and
imaginary part of the pole location. Here is the computation.

The pole is given by:

o

z1 = e-aT+jbT

z1 = e-aT[cos(bT) + jsin(bT)]

So, the real and imaginary parts are:

o

Re(z1) = e-aTcos(bT) = 0.909

Im(z1) = e-aTsin(bT) = 0.281

The plot above, repeated here, shows the pole locations. The plot is consistent with
our calculations.

E7 Here is a simulator in which you can enter the real and imaginary parts for a
pair of complex poles in the z-plane. In this simulator, do the following.

Check the values used above, i.e. Real Part = 0.909 and Imaginary Part = +/0.281. Actually, the simulator should have these values preset.

Determine if the period is correct. You will need to figure out what the period
should be, and remember that the sample period, T, is one second for this
simulation.

Determine if the number of samples in a period is correct.

An Observation About Decay Rate

In a sampled system, decay rate is also important, just as it is in analog

systems. In a sampled system we will need to discuss things in terms of decay to a
certain percentage after a number of sample periods, and then relate number of
sample periods to time using the sample period, T.
To get a handle on decay rate remember that the poles of a sampled system
with two complex poles are:

z1 = e-aT-jbT

z2 = e-aT+jbT

The critical observation to be made is that the response has terms like the
expression below, which is repeated from the material above.

fk = f(kT) = e-akTsin(bkT)

Then, we should realize that the critical term is the envelope of the response, and
that is determined by:

Envelopek = e-akT= (e-aT)k

Or, in other words, the magnitude of the poles (And since they are complex
conjugates, they both have the same magnitude.) determines the decay rate
per sample period. That decay rate/sample period id:
o

Decay Rate/Sample Period = e-aT

We can note the following critical observation about these poles.

If the magnitude of the pole(s) is less than one, the response will eventually
settle out to a constant value (possibly zero) because the transient part of the
response will eventually die out.

If the magnitude of the pole(s) is greater than one, the response will grow
indefinitely.

That's why the unit circle is the stability boundary for sampled systems.
Poles outside the unit circle represent signals that grow in time, while poles
inside the unit circle represent signals that eventually decay to zero.

It is possible to get even more insight into how pole position is related to
response.

If we start with a sequence,fk = f(kT) = e-akTsin(bkT)

o

In one sample period, the bounding envelope of the sinusoid, e -akT

always becomes smaller by a factor e-aT.

In one sample period, the angle in the argument of the sinusoid always
increases by bT radians.

We can relate these features of the response to the pole position. Let's look at
the example sequence we looked at earlier. Here's the sequence and the pole
positions are shown in the figure at the right below.

a = 0.05,

b = .3

T = 1.0

Now, note the following for this example.

The decay factor, e-aT = e-0.05, so each sample

interval, the bound on the sinusoid will
decrease to e-0.05 of the value the preceding
sample period. That's approximately a 5%
decrease to 0.951 times the preceding value.

The magnitude of the pole - the distance of the pole from the origin - determines
the decay rate. That distance is shown on the plot, and it is equal to e-aT. That's
the amount the envelope of the response decays each sample period. Remember,
the poles are at:

z1 = e-aT-jbT

z2 = e-aT+jbT

The magnitude of both poles is |e-aT|. The factor, ejbT, only changes the angle
of the first pole - and the factor, e-jbT, changes the angle of the second pole - but in
the opposite direction.
The same angle, bT, appears in both poles - once positively, and once
negatively. That angle determines how much the angle of the sinusoidal signal
(which is also decaying!) changes each sample period since the response is given
by:
fk = f(kT) = e-akTsin(bkT)
We will call bT the angular rate.

Example
E8 Now, consider the example we have been using.

 a = 0.05,
b = .3
T = 1.0
With b = .3 and T = 1.0, we have bT = .3 radians or about 17.2 degrees. That
means that the sinusoidal part of the response will move through a complete cycle
in a little over 21 sample periods. Check that using the simulator.

Example
E9 Here is a simulator which allows you to input the decay rate and the anglular
change between samples.

Problem
P1 Say that you want the response to decay to within 5% of the starting value in
20 sample periods. What should the decay factor be?
Enter your answer in the box below, then click the button to submit your answer.
You will get a grade on a 0 (completely wrong) to 100 (perfectly accurate answer)
scale.

Your grade is:

The pole position determines the significant features of the response.

The distance from the origin determines the rate of decay. The closer to the
origin the quicker the decay - as measured in sample periods.

The angle off the horizontal - measured from the origin - determines the
number of sample periods in a period of the sinusoid.

Let's look at some particular cases. In the process we shoul come to a better
understanding of how pole position affects response.
One interesting particular case is when the poles are on the imaginary axis.
Here is a copy of the simulator we used earlier.

Example
E10 Here is the simulator. Do the following.

Use values of 15o, 30o, 45o, . . . up to 180o, for the angle.

Use values of 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, . . . for the decay factor.

Observe results and see what conclusions you can draw. Make sure that the
results make sense to you.

Are the results what you expected?

Notice how the signal is undamped when it is on the unit circle.

Notice how the apparent damping increases as the poles move toward the
center (origin) of the unit circle.

The various examples show behavior that is much like the behavior you would
get in a continuous system by changing the damping ratio.
What is interesting about the response for a ninety degree angular rate is that
there are a lot of points that are zero. To explain that consider the following:

For a nintey degree angular rate, the poles are at +90 o and -90o.

The angle of the poles determines the number of samples in a period of

oscillation.

For an angle of 90o, there are four samples in a period.

With four samples in a period, in this case there is:

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one up,

one at zero,

one down, and

one at zero, etc.

We can sum up what you should have obtained from this part of the lesson.

You should be able to relate the distance of a pole from the origin of the zplane to the decay rate.

You should be able to relate the angle of the pole off the horizontal measured from the origin - to the number of samples in an oscilation period.

And these were part of the set of goals enumerated early in this lesson.

Some Important Facts & Z-Transform Theorems

When dealing with sampled signals, there are some relationships you need to
know. In continuous systems, multiplication by s comes about by taking the
transform of a derivative. That's important in continuous systems because that's
what eventually lets you apply Laplace transforms to differential equations and
develop concepts like the transfer function.
In sampled systems, multiplication by z is what helps you solve difference
equations, and eventually that will let us develop equivalent transfer function
concepts for sampled systems. Some simple facts are the results for multiplication
by a constant and the linearity theorem. In what follows, we assume that we have a
signal sequence, yk, and the transform of that signal sequence is Y[z].

Z(a yk) = a Y[z] Multiplication by a constant

Z(a yk+ b wk) = a Y[z] + b W[z] Linearity

Linearity Theorem
These two theorems are fairly easy to show, and the first is really a special case
of the second - the linearity theorem - so we will just show how the second one
comes about. Here is a statement of the linearity theorem again:

Z(a yk+ b wk) = a Y[z] + b W[z] Linearity

Now, we can follow the following steps, starting with the definition

and that's the theorem.

Delayed Signals - Shifting Theorem

The most important theorem for Z-transforms is the real translation theorem also known as the shifting theorem. The shifting theorem says:

Z(a yk-1) = z-1 Y[z]

You need to understand what yk-1 is. If you think about it, when k is 3, for example,
the value of the function is y2. In other words, the signal yk-1 is the same as the
signal yk except that it takes on specific values one sample period later than yk.

This one takes a little more effort to demonstrate. First, let's look at the shifted
function.

Shifting the index by -1 (changing k to k-1) delays the function by one sample
point.

A function is shown to the right in red. The same function - delayed by one sample
period - is shown in blue on the plot.

Now, let us look at the Z-transform of the shifted function. Here is the
summation we want to perform.

The first term in the sum, for k = 0, is y -1. We will assume that the signals we
deal with - including yk here - all start at zero so that y-1 = 0.

Noting that, we can let m = k - 1, and substitute that in the sum. Then the
sum will run from m = -1 to infinity. Here is that expression.

Now, evalute the sum. That leads to the following expression.

Ultimately, we conclude that the transform of the delayed signal is just z-1
times the transform of the undelayed signal, i.e.:
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Z[yk-1] = z-1 Y[z] = Y[z]/z

Final Value Theorem

There are other important results you will need to know for control systems.
One of those is the final value theorem. Here is a statement of the result of the
theorem.

Paraphrasing the result, we say that the limit of the sequence as time (k)
becomes large is the limit in the z-domain of (z - 1)/z times the transform of the
function, Y[z]. (Note that (1 - z-1) is the same as (z - 1)/z.)
Consider the transform of a sequence, yk.

Now, also consider the transform of the same sequence delayed by one sample
period.

Then, consider taking the difference between these two transforms.

Now, take the limit of this difference as z approaches 1. The sums on the right hand
side of this equation can be written as:
[yo - y-1] + [y1 - y0] + [y2 - y1] + . . .

Notice how y-1 = 0, and how every term gets cancelled except the very last. In what
is shown y2 is left. In the limit, the "final value" is left. So, we have the final value
theorem as a result.

Problems
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Problem Sampled1A01 - Getting the transform of a decaying sequence.

Problem Sampled1A05 - Getting the transform of a double delayed

signal

Links To Related Lessons

Other Lessons On Sampled Systems
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Introduction to Z Transforms

Application To Systems - Transfer Functions

Moving Along - More Advanced Material

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