Signals and Systems with MATLAB Computing and Simulink Modeling
This text has been superseded by the FOURTH EDITION which includes a comprehensive discussion on window functions and examples using the fft and ifft MATLAB functions. As in previous editions, this text is an introduction to continuous and discrete-time signals and systems. It contains numerous examples that are solved analytically and verified with the latest Student Versions of MATLAB. It is intended for electrical engineering majors. It can also be used for self-study. Freshman-level calculus and some elementary knowledge of differential equations is assumed. An introduction to MATLAB, Simulink, review of complex algebra, and matrices and determinants, are discussed in Appendices A, B, and C, and D respectively.
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you want a practical, example-driven introduction to continuous and discrete signals and LTI systems with hands-on MATLAB and Simulink exercises. It walks you from time-domain convolution to Fourier, Laplace, and Z-transform analysis while showing how to verify results numerically, making abstract concepts tangible.
Who Will Benefit
Undergraduate electrical engineering students, early graduate students, and practicing engineers who need a practical grounding in signals and systems and want to use MATLAB/Simulink for analysis and simulation.
Level: Beginner — Prerequisites: Freshman-level calculus and basic differential-equation familiarity; some linear algebra is helpful. No prior MATLAB knowledge is required (the book includes appendices introducing MATLAB and Simulink).
Key Takeaways
- Analyze continuous- and discrete-time signals using time- and frequency-domain methods.
- Compute and apply Fourier series, Fourier transforms, Laplace transforms, and Z-transforms to LTI systems.
- Perform convolution and determine system properties (causality, stability, frequency response).
- Simulate signals and systems using MATLAB scripts and Simulink block diagrams, including using FFT/IFT functions for spectral computations.
- Apply the sampling theorem and convert between continuous- and discrete-time representations.
- Formulate simple state-space models and use them to analyze system behavior.
Topics Covered
- 1. Introduction to Signals and Systems
- 2. Mathematical Preliminaries (complex numbers, basic linear algebra)
- 3. Continuous-Time Signals and Systems
- 4. Time-Domain Analysis and Convolution
- 5. Fourier Series and Fourier Transform
- 6. Laplace Transform and System Analysis
- 7. Sampling and Discrete-Time Signals
- 8. Z-Transform and Discrete-Time System Analysis
- 9. Discrete-Time Fourier Transform and FFT/ifft examples
- 10. Stability, Causality, and Frequency Response
- 11. State-Space Modeling of Signals and Systems
- 12. Introduction to Modulation and Applications (brief)
- Appendix A: Introduction to MATLAB
- Appendix B: Introduction to Simulink
- Appendix C: Complex Algebra and Matrices
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Karris is more applied and MATLAB/Simulink-focused than Oppenheim & Willsky's Signals and Systems (which is more rigorous and theory-heavy); for hands-on simulation orientation it's also friendlier than many classical texts.
