Signals & Systems

2021-1 Week 4

School of Electronics Engineering

Hyunyeol Lee, Ph.D.
1.3.1. Continuous-Time Complex
Exponentials and Sinusoidal Signals
Real Exponential
• Continuous time: C and a are real values

Solution of homogeneous ODE y’-ay=0

Complex Exponential and Sinusoidal Signals
• CT complex exponential signal with frequency ω0 and period T:

• Fundamental period (smallest period):

• Relation btw complex exponential and sinusoidal signals:

Complex Exponential and Sinusoidal Signals
• Total energy and average power in one period

• The total energy integrated over all time is infinite:

• The average power is always 1.

Harmonically Related Complex Exponentials
• Sets of periodic exponentials, all of which are
periodic with a common period T0.

• 11
for any integer k

• Let ω=kω0 

φk: harmonically related complex exponentials

The number of elements in φk : infinitely many

General Complex Exponential Signals
1.3.2. Discrete-Time Complex Exponentials
and Sinusoidal Signals
Real Exponential
• Discrete time: 𝒙 [ 𝒏 ] =𝑪 𝜶 𝒏 C and α are real values with
Complex Exponentials and Sinusoidal
Signals
• The math in continuous time signals is identical in discrete time
signals with t  n and x(t)  x[n]

• Infinite total energy () and finite average power ( )

General Complex Exponential Signals

|α| > 1
(C,α: complex)

|α| < 1
Periodicity Properties of DT Complex
Exponentials
• For the continuous-time complex exponentials:

• larger ω0  more rapid oscillations

• is periodic with a fundamental period =

• Not the case in the discrete domain
Periodicity Properties of DT Complex
Exponentials
• The exponential at frequency ω0 +2π is identical to that at frequency ω0.

• We could only consider a frequency interval of length 2π

 typically in the range - π ≤ ω0 < π or 0 ≤ ω0 < 2π

• As opposed to the CT case, in DT the highest possible frequency exists,

which is π
Periodicity Properties of DT Complex
Exponentials
• A periodic complex exponential with a period N meets:

• Then, the following condition must be satisfied for ω0N

m: integer

• m/N has to be a rational number for a discrete-time complex

exponential signal to be periodic.
• In other words, must be a 2π multiple of some rational number for
exp(jn) to be periodic.
Periodicity Properties of DT Complex
Exponentials
• Fundamental frequency of the periodic signal

• Fundamental period N, m having no common factors

ω0= 2π/12  N=12, m=1 ω0= 8π/31  N=31, m=4

ω0= 1/6  cannot find integer m and N that meets m/N being a rational number

 not a periodic signal (although it looks like)

Harmonically Related Periodic Exponentials
• Periodic exponentials with a common period N

• There are only N distinct periodic exponentials in DT

• Note: there are infinite number of distinct periodic exponentials in CT

1.4. The Unit Impulse and Unit Step
Functions
• Discrete-time unit impulse:

𝛿 [𝑛 ]=
0
1{ 𝑛≠ 0
𝑛=0

• Discrete-time unit step:

𝑢[ 𝑛]=
0
1{ 𝑛<0
𝑛≥0
 • Relation between the discrete-time unit impulse and unit step
• Difference equation:

• Running sum of impulse:

m=n-k
• Running sum of shifted impulse:

Unit step: superposition of delayed impulse

 Time-shift Reflection

δ[k+n] δ[-k+n]

n<0

0 -n k n 0 k
δ[k]

0 k δ[k+n] δ[-k+n]

n>0
-n 0 k 0 n k
• Sampling property of the unit impulse

• For any given x[n], multiplying it with a delayed impulse samples its
signal at that delay point (n0).

• This property is very useful for representing a signal with a

combination of impulse functions (in LTI systems) – Chapter 2
1.4.2 The Continuous-Time Unit Step and
Unit Impulse Functions
• Unit step function:
• Discontinue at t=0

• No value defined at t=0

• The CT unit impulse function is defined in a manner analogous to DT:

But u(t) is not continuous at t=0,

and thus is not differentiable there
• Consider an approximation to the unit step u∆(t):
• Then, u(t) can be thought of as:

• And, define the derivative of u∆(t) as δ∆(t):

• As ∆0, δ∆(t) becomes narrower and higher with its unit area maintained,
reaching to: 1 indicates its area is 1,
not a value at t=0
σ=t-τ
Notes on the CT Unit Impulse

• (Mathematically) informal: undefined at t=0  not a function

• It should be regarded as a very short pulse with its area 1,

which is sufficient to deal with real physical systems.

• All in all, it does not make sense mathematically, but it does and is
very useful physically.
 x(t)=2u(t-1)-3u(t-2)+u(t-4)

𝑑 x( t )
𝑥˙ ( 𝑡 )= =2 𝛿 ( t − 1 ) − 3 𝛿 ( t − 2 ) + 𝛿 ( t − 4 )
𝑑𝑡

t
x ( 𝑡 )=∫ 𝑥˙ ( 𝑡 ) dt
0
1.5 Continuous-Time and Discrete-Time Systems

• What is a system?
• Relating signals in such a way to produce output signals in response to input
signals
 Mathematical Modeling for Real Systems
RC circuit Car speed Bank balance
R

y[n]: balance at the end of n-th month

vs + i vc x[n]: deposit in the n-th month
- C
1.01: interest rate of 1%

𝑣 𝑠 (𝑡 )− 𝑣 𝑐 (𝑡)
𝑖(𝑡)=
𝑅
First-order linear First-order linear
differential equation difference equation
Interconnection of Systems
1.6 Basic System Properties

• Memoryless:
• The output at a given time is dependent only on the input at that same time

• Examples of memoryless system:

• Examples of memory system:

• Must store the preceding values of the input
• Invertibility:
• Invertible if distinct inputs lead to distinct outputs (bijective function: 전단
사)
• If a system is invertible, then an inverse system exists that yields an output
equal to the input to the first system
• Causality:
• Causal if the output at any time depends only on past and present values of
the input, or if the system cannot anticipate the future input signal
• Examples of non-causal system:

• Example 1.12 (non-causal) (causal)

• Stability:
• Stable if a bounded input leads to a bounded output (not diverge)

B D
stable system
|x(t)|< B < < C < y(t) < D <

-B C

y=tB: growing with time regardless of the

• Example 1.13:
bounded input |x(t)|<B  unstable system

stable system