Signal Processing and Linear Systems
This text presents a comprehensive treatment of signal processing and linear systems suitable for juniors and seniors in electrical engineering. Based on B. P. Lathi's widely used book, Linear Systems and Signals, it features additional applications to communications, controls, and filtering as well as new chapters on analog and digital filters and digital signal processing. Lathi emphasizes the physical appreciation of concepts rather than the mere mathematical manipulation of symbols. Avoiding the tendency to treat engineering as a branch of applied mathematics, he uses mathematics to enhance physical and intuitive understanding of concepts, instead of employing it only to prove axiomatic theory. Theoretical results are supported by carefully chosen examples and analogies, allowing students to intuitively discover meaning for themselves.
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you want a clear, physically motivated introduction to signals and linear systems that bridges classical theory and practical DSP topics. You will get intuitive explanations and worked examples that make transforms, convolution, sampling, and basic filter design accessible without excessive mathematical abstraction.
Who Will Benefit
Junior-to-senior electrical engineering students and practicing engineers who need a solid, intuitive foundation in LTI systems, transform methods, sampling theory, and introductory filter design.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Single-variable calculus, basic differential equations, elementary linear algebra, and introductory circuit concepts (basic familiarity with sinusoids and complex numbers).
Key Takeaways
- Describe and analyze linear time-invariant (LTI) systems using convolution and impulse response
- Apply Fourier series, Fourier transform, and discrete-time Fourier transform for frequency-domain analysis
- Use Laplace and Z-transforms to analyze system stability and transient behavior
- Explain sampling theory and implement basic discrete-time processing using the FFT
- Design and evaluate basic analog and digital (IIR/FIR) filters and understand practical tradeoffs
- Apply signal-processing concepts to communications and control examples
Topics Covered
- 1. Signals: Types and Classification
- 2. Linear Time-Invariant Systems and Convolution
- 3. Fourier Series and Periodic Signal Analysis
- 4. Continuous-Time Fourier Transform
- 5. Sampling Theorem and Discrete-Time Signals
- 6. Discrete-Time Fourier Transform and Frequency Analysis
- 7. Laplace Transform and Continuous-Time System Analysis
- 8. Z-Transform and Discrete-Time System Analysis
- 9. Analog Filter Foundations and Design
- 10. Digital Filters: FIR and IIR Design Techniques
- 11. FFT and Efficient Spectral Computation
- 12. State-Space Methods, Stability, and Feedback
- 13. Applications to Communications, Controls, and Filtering
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More approachable and physically intuitive than Oppenheim & Willsky's Signals and Systems, while less DSP-algorithms-heavy than Proakis & Manolakis; it sits between a theory text and an applications-oriented DSP introduction.
