Signals and Systems: A Primer with MATLAB
Signals and Systems: A Primer with MATLAB® provides clear, interesting, and easy-to-understand coverage of continuous-time and discrete-time signals and systems. Each chapter opens with a historical profile or career talk, followed by an introduction that states the chapter objectives and links the chapter to the previous ones. All principles are presented in a lucid, logical, step-by-step approach. As much as possible, the authors avoid wordiness and detail overload that could hide concepts and impede understanding.
In recognition of the requirements by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) on integrating computer tools, the use of MATLAB® is encouraged in a student-friendly manner. MATLAB is introduced in Appendix B and applied gradually throughout the book.
Each illustrative example is immediately followed by a practice problem along with its answer. Students can follow the example step by step to solve the practice problem without flipping pages or looking at the end of the book for answers. These practice problems test students’ comprehension and reinforce key concepts before moving on to the next section.
Toward the end of each chapter, the authors discuss some application aspects of the concepts covered in the chapter. The material covered in the chapter is applied to at least one or two practical problems or devices. This helps students see how the concepts are applied to real-life situations.
In addition, thoroughly worked examples are given liberally at the end of every section. These examples give students a solid grasp of the solutions as well as the confidence to solve similar problems themselves. Some of the problems are solved in two or three ways to facilitate a deeper understanding and comparison of different approaches.
Ten review questions in the form of multiple-choice objective items are provided at the end of each chapter with answers. The review questions are intended to cover the "little tricks" that the examples and end-of-chapter problems may not cover. They serve as a self-test device and help students determine chapter mastery. Each chapter also ends with a summary of key points and formulas.
Designed for a three-hour semester course on signals and systems, Signals and Systems: A Primer with MATLAB® is intended as a textbook for junior-level undergraduate students in electrical and computer engineering. The prerequisites for a course based on this book are knowledge of standard mathematics (including calculus and differential equations) and electric circuit analysis.
Why Read This Book
You will get a concise, approachable introduction to continuous- and discrete-time signals and systems with clear explanations and plenty of MATLAB examples so you can quickly move from theory to hands-on simulation. The book emphasizes intuition and step-by-step development of core transforms and LTI system analysis, making it easy to apply fundamentals to DSP, communications, and audio problems.
Who Will Benefit
Undergraduate engineering students and practicing engineers with limited signals background who want a MATLAB-integrated, practical foundation in signals and systems before tackling applied DSP topics.
Level: Beginner — Prerequisites: Basic calculus (differentiation and integration), elementary complex numbers and algebra; some exposure to linear algebra and basic programming is helpful but not required.
Key Takeaways
- Explain the definitions and classifications of continuous- and discrete-time signals and systems and identify common signal types
- Analyze linear time-invariant (LTI) systems using convolution, impulse response, and frequency response
- Apply Fourier series, Fourier transform, Laplace transform, and z-transform to analyze signals and systems in the frequency domain
- Perform sampling, reconstruct signals, and understand aliasing and the sampling theorem
- Use MATLAB to simulate signals, compute FFTs, visualize spectra, and verify analytic results
- Interpret core spectral-analysis concepts that underlie applications in communications, audio, and basic DSP
Topics Covered
- 1. Introduction to Signals and Systems
- 2. Time-Domain Analysis of Continuous-Time Signals
- 3. Time-Domain Analysis of Discrete-Time Signals
- 4. Linear Time-Invariant Systems and Convolution
- 5. Fourier Series and Periodic Signal Analysis
- 6. Continuous-Time Fourier Transform
- 7. Discrete-Time Fourier Transform and the FFT
- 8. Laplace Transform and System Analysis
- 9. z-Transform and Discrete-Time System Analysis
- 10. Sampling, Reconstruction, and Aliasing
- 11. Frequency Response, Filters, and Stability Basics
- 12. Applications and Examples in Communications and Audio
- Appendix: MATLAB Basics and Example Scripts
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More accessible and MATLAB-focused than Oppenheim & Willsky's Signals and Systems; less mathematically rigorous and more introductory than Lathi or Proakis, which delve deeper into DSP algorithms.
