Computer-Based Exercises for Signal Processing Using Matlab (Matlab Curriculum)
This text is intended for use on introductory graduate-level courses in digital signal processing. Developed by a group of six scholars and teachers, this book offers a collection of exercises and projects which guide students in the use of MATLAB to explore major topical areas in digital signal processing. Features of the text include: projects and exercises which make full use of the power of MATLAB to explore conceptual, analytical and computational issues in digital signal processing; projects which provide hints to introduce pitfalls, limitations and tricks for getting the most out of MATLAB; discussions of both the power and limitations of MATLAB functions and regular explorations of the issues of using built-in functions versus developing code to solve problems; and exercises which consistently reinforce important problem-solving behaviours, such as verifying results, experimenting with parameters as a means of building understanding and intuition, exploring the realism of formulations, comparing theoretical and numerical or measured results, and developing predictions and then comparing them to actual results. A solutions manual with a disk is available as a supplement to this text.
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you want a hands-on, MATLAB-centered way to internalize DSP concepts: it turns theory into experiments so you can visualize behavior, test algorithms, and discover numerical pitfalls. The exercises guide you through practical filter design, FFT-based analysis, and projects that expose the limits of built-in routines versus custom implementations.
Who Will Benefit
Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and instructors seeking lab-style MATLAB exercises to supplement a DSP course or to gain practical experience with signal processing algorithms.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic signals and systems (discrete-time signals, convolution, z-transform), introductory linear algebra and calculus, and elementary familiarity with MATLAB scripting.
Key Takeaways
- Implement and visualize discrete-time signals and systems using MATLAB
- Compute and interpret FFTs and periodograms for spectral analysis
- Design, test, and compare FIR and IIR digital filters using MATLAB functions and custom code
- Explore numerical issues, windowing effects, and limitations of built-in routines
- Develop small projects that apply DSP techniques to practical problems (filtering, spectral estimation, basic audio/speech examples)
- Compare algorithmic trade-offs by prototyping both toolbox functions and self-written implementations
Topics Covered
- Introduction to MATLAB and numerical issues for DSP
- Time-domain operations: convolution, correlation, and sampling
- Discrete-time Fourier analysis and the FFT
- Windowing, spectral leakage, and spectral estimation
- FIR filter design: window method and frequency sampling
- IIR filter design: analog prototypes and bilinear transform
- Filter structures, implementation issues, and quantization effects
- Practical filter testing and real-data examples
- Projects in FFT-based processing and overlap methods
- Comparing built-in functions vs. custom algorithms; pitfalls and best practices
- Advanced exercises: multirate concepts and short application projects
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Similar in pedagogy to classroom supplements like McClellan's Signal Processing First (hands-on, MATLAB-focused), but unlike Oppenheim & Schafer it is an exercise/project book rather than a theory-first textbook.
