Signals and Systems

Who this book is for

For undergraduate engineering students learning to move between time-domain descriptions and transform-domain models. It supplies a free, example-rich course text with both continuous and discrete systems. The mathematical preparation matters even though it is an introductory signals course, so readers should review complex exponentials before treating transforms as procedures.

Prerequisites

Calculus, complex numbers, linear algebra and elementary differential equations. Familiarity with a circuit model helps; MATLAB examples can be followed alongside the theoretical development.

What it covers

Signal and system properties lead into linear time-invariant systems, convolution and Fourier analysis, followed by Laplace and z-transform methods. Applications connect the mathematics with filtering, sampling and feedback. Supplementary material supports the numerical and algebraic tools used in the main development.

How to use it

For a simple input, predict the qualitative output before performing a transform. Calculate convolution for a small example and compare the time-domain answer with a frequency-domain explanation. Keep the region of convergence and system assumptions visible. Reproduce a numerical example, change one parameter and explain the resulting behaviour using a pole, spectrum or impulse response rather than only a plotted curve.

Edition and sources

The author page identifies Edition 6.0, December 2024, PDF ISBN 9781990707070, and supplies the free PDF under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. The Fall 2025 ECE260 outline explicitly requires that edition.

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