Activity No.

Name and Section: Cuestas, Christine Joy G. , BSEE 4-1

Student No.: 18-0967

1. What are singularity functions?

Singularity functions (alternatively referred to as singular functions) are functions

that contain singularities. Poles, removable singularities, or essential singularities are all

examples of singularities. Additionally, derivatives can be used to define singularity

functions. These functions are either not finite everywhere or have one or more non-finite

derivatives. That is, one or more of the derivatives are discontinuous. The opposite of a

singularity function is an analytic function, which has all possible derivative orders (i.e.

first, second, third...).

Although Dirac's delta function is the most well-known singularity function, there

are other others, including exp(1/z).

Plot showing the singularity function exp(1/z) in terms of hue and luminance,

focused on the essential singularity at zero. The function operates differently depending

on the direction from which it is approached. (From: Wikimedia Commons | Functor Salad)
2. What is a unit step function?
In engineering applications, we regularly come across functions whose values

abruptly shift at given time t values. A frequent example is when a voltage is turned on or

off in an electrical circuit at a defined time t. t = 0 is frequently used as a handy time to

turn on or off the provided voltage. The switching process can be mathematically

characterized using the Unit Step Function (otherwise known as the Heaviside function

after Oliver Heaviside).

The unit step function, u (t), is defined as,

That is, u is a function of time t, and u has value zero when time is negative (before

we flip the switch); and value one when time is positive (from when we flip the switch).

In some textbooks, the unit step function is specified as having the value 1 at time t = 0.

We would indicate the discontinuity on our graph like this:

 Also, sometimes you'll see the value given f (0)=0.5. It makes little difference to our

calculations in this work, so we'll continue to apply the first interpretation and construct

our graphs appropriately.

3. What is a unit impulse function?

The unit impulse is incredibly helpful in signal analysis, linear system analysis, and

sampling. The unit impulse function, δ(t), also known as the Dirac delta function

Consider the plot in Figure of a rectangular pulse. Take note that the pulse's height is

1/τ and the width of the pulse is τ. As a result, we may write

As we let τ decrease, the pulse's width becomes increasingly narrow and its height

becomes increasingly higher. In the limit as τ approaches zero , we have a pulse with an

infinite height and zero width, but an area of only one. The unit impulse function is defined

as
The area under δ(t) is one, and so we can write

If we multiply the unit impulse by a constant, K, its area is now equal to that constant, i.e.

4. What is a unit ramp function?

The unit ramp function t(t) is a constant slope ramp function. The function is widely

utilized in signal processing and serves as a building block for more complex signals.
 The unit ramp function is the integral of the unit step function µ(t), so can be

expressed as the following integral:

Additionally, the unit ramp function can be produced by twice integrating the unit

impulse function.

5. What is step response of a circuit?

When a circuit undergoes a change, such as the shutting of a switch, the voltages

and currents in the circuit elements adjust to the new conditions. If the change is abrupt,

as it is here, the voltages and currents react with a step response. The step response is a

frequently used technique for giving a circuit a small "kick" to see what happens. It reveals

a great deal about the circuit's properties.

6. What is a natural or transient response of a circuit?
The natural response is what the circuit performs, including initial conditions

(capacitor or inductor voltage or current), but with the input suppressed. For the natural

response, we suppress (turn off, set to zero) the input and solve only the circuit.

7. What is a forced response of a circuit?

The forced response v f (t), is the part of the total response that is directly caused

by the input, given that all initial conditions are zero. For the time being, we disregard the

initial conditions and focus on finding a solution to the non-homogeneous differential

equation. Typically, the forced response solution is a scaled version of the input.
 Since the voltage source is disconnected from the resistor and capacitor prior to

t=0, we know the forced response is zero.

References

Bourne, M. (2018). Laplace Transforms - 1a. The Unit Step Function (Heaviside Function).

Intmath.com. https://www.intmath.com/laplace-transformation/1a-unit-step-

functions-definition.php

Khan Academy. (2021). Khanacademy.org.

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/electrical-engineering/ee-circuit-analysis-

topic/ee-natural-and-forced-response/a/ee-rc-step-response

OpenStax CNX. (2021). Cnx.org.

https://cnx.org/contents/pgrh5dEe@15.5:MNtyTVa8@3/The-Unit-Impulse-

Function

Singularity Functions: Simple Definition, Examples - Calculus How To. (2019, December
25). Calculus How To. https://www.calculushowto.com/singularity-

functions/#:~:text=A%20%E2%80%9Csingularity%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20point

,as%20you%20approach%20that%20point.
Unit Ramp Function - Calculus How To. (2019, December 26). Calculus How To.
https://www.calculushowto.com/unit-ramp-function/