Signals & Systems

Questions Set 01

1. A linear time-invariant system has the input-output characteristics shown in the

first row of the diagram below. Determine the output for the input shown on the
second row of the diagram. Justify your answer.
input x1[n] output y1[n] Solution: Note that x2[n]= x1[n+1]-
2 0.5 x1[n]
1 As a consequence of the system
1 being LTI, we must have
n n y2[n]= y1[n+1]-0.5 y1[n]. Sketch it
below.
input x2[n] output y2[n]

-0.5 n n

2. Consider the signals f(t) = u(t)-u(t-1) and g(t) = u(t).

a) Sketch f(2t) and f(t-0.5).

Solution:

f(2t) f(t-0.5)
1
1
t
0.5 t 0.5 1.5

b) Sketch f(0.5-t) g(t)

Solution:

f(0.5-t) f(0.5-t)g(t)
1 1

t t
-0.5 0.5 0.5
 g(n)

….. 1 ……
0.5
n

3. Consider the signal g shown above. Is it periodic? If so what is the period? Is it a

power or an energy signal? If it is an energy signal calculate its energy and if it is a power
signal calculate its power.
Solution:
The signal is periodic with period N=3 since
g(n+N)=g(n) for any n.

Since it is periodic, it must be a power signal and not

an energy signal (E is infinite).

P=(1/3)(1+1+0.25)=3/4.

4. Evaluate the following quantities by inspection:

a. 
cos( s ) ( s  4)ds cos(4)

b. 
 ( s  1) ds u(t-1)

n2
k   (n  k )k 2


c.

5. Consider a system described by the following input-output relation:

y(t) = u(-t)+x(et ).

(a) Is the system linear? Justify.

Solution:
No. If we choose x≡0, then y(t)=u(-t)≠0.

(b) Is it time invariant? Justify.

Solution:
O(xt0)(t) = u(-t)+xt0(et ) = u(-t)+x(et-t0 )

On the other hand,

O(x)(t-t0) = u(-(t- t0))+x(et- t0 ) ≠ u(-t)+x(et-t0 ).
Thus, O is time variant.

(c) Is it memoryless? Justify.

Solution:
No, because y(0) depends on x(1).

(d) Is it causal? Justify.

Solution:
No, because y(0) depends on x(1).

6. Determine whether the following systems are stable, you must show proper
justification (i.e., provide a proof in the case of stable and a counter example otherwise):
Solution:
t
Take x(t) = u(t), which is bounded (by one). Then, y ( t )  

u ( s ) ds  tu ( t ). And, |y(t)| =
|t|u(t), which is unbounded. Thus, the system is not BIBO stable.

(b) y ( n )  (1 / 3){ x ( n  1)  x ( n )  x ( n  1)} .

Solution:
Assume x is bounded by M. Then,
| y ( n ) | (1 / 3){M  M  M }  3M , which is bounded. The system is therefore BIBO
stable.

7. Suppose that the systems in Problem 6(b) is linear and time-invariant. Calculate its
impulse response.
Simply replace x by  to obtain
h( n)  (1 / 3){ (n  1)   ( n)   ( n  1)} .

-x(t)
8. Consider a system described by the following input-output relation: O(x)(t) = e

(a) Is the system linear? Justify.

(b) Is it time invariant? Justify.
(c) Is it memoryless? Justify. Yes, O(x)(t) depends on the input at time t only.
(d) Is it stable? Justify.
9. Determine if the following signals are periodic or not. Indicate the period if they are
periodic. Justify your answer.

a) x[n] = sin(3n).
b) x[n] = sin([/3]n).
c) x[n] = sin([/3]n) u[n].
d) x(t) = cos2(3t)

Signals & Systems

Questions Set 02

Once you mastered these questions, try to work the next set of question. Let me
know if you have any questions (next page).

1. A linear time-invariant (LTI) system has the input-output characteristics shown in the
first row of the diagram below. Plot y2(t). Justify your answer and clearly mark the axes
as needed.
input x1(t) output y1(t)
2
1 1

1 2 t 2 t
input x2(t) output y2(t)

0.5
t t
2

Solution: Exploit the fact that x2(t)= 0.5x1(t) + 0.5x1(t+1).

2. a) Is the system described in Problem 1 causal? Justify your answer.

No. Output at time 0 depends on input at times greater than 1.

b) Can you say if it is stable or not? Justify your answer.

No.

c) Graph x1(t+1), x1(2-t), x1(0.5t), and 2y1(t)(t-1)

1
 g(n)

…… 2/3 ……
1/3
1 n

4. a) Graph g(2-n).
b) Is g it periodic? If so what is the period? Is it a power or an energy signal? If it
is an energy signal calculate its energy and if it is a power signal calculate its
power.
Periodic with period 4.

5. Calculate z(t) = u(t+1) * tu(t) and plot z.

Not covered by this exam.

6. Evaluate the following quantities by inspection:


a. 

e 2 s (t  s )ds  e 2 t

t 1
b. 

 ( s )ds  u (t  1)



c. k  
 (n  k ) sin 2 (2k )  sin 2 ( 2n )  sin 2 (2n )

7. Consider a system described by the following input-output relation:

y(t) = x(t2 ).

(a) Is the system linear? Justify.

Yes. Show that additivity and homogeneity hold

(b) Is it time invariant? Justify.

No.

(c) Is it causal? Justify.

No: y(-2) depends on x(4)

(d) Is it stable? Justify.

Yes. y will have the bound as that for x.

8. Find the derivative of exp(-at)u(t).

Using the product rule, -a exp(-at)u(t) + exp(-at)(t)
9. Show that any signal can be decomposed into even and odd parts.
See text.

10. Use the homogeneity property of a linear system O to show that if x(t)=0 for all t then
O(x)(t) = 0 for all t. (Recall that the output signal O(x)(t) is what we also refer to as y(t).)
Solution: O(0)(t) = O(0 x1)(t) = 0 O(x1)(t) = 0, where x1 is any input.

Use this property to conclude whether or not the system O1 is linear, where O1(x)(t) =
t
e
x(s)
ds .

1
 e ds  0.
0
Solution: Not linear since for example


11. For a certain LTI system, it is known that the input u(n)-u(n-4) yields and output of
y(n)=0.5nu(n). Find the output when the input is u(n)-u(n-8).
Hint: Try to write u(n)-u(n-8) in terms of a superposition of u(n)-u(n-4) and possibly a
shifted versions of it.
 Signals & Systems
Questions Set 03
Solved Problems signals and systems

1. Express the signals shown in Fig. 1 in terms of unit step functions.

Fig. 1

Answer x(t )  u (t  1)  2u (t )  u (t  1)  u (t  2)  u (t  3)

2. Consider the system shown in Fig. 2. Determine whether it is (a) memoryless, ( b )causal, ( c ) linear,
( d ) time-invariant, or ( e ) stable.

Fig. 2

 
(a) From Fig. 2 we have y (t )  T x (t )  x (t ) cos c (t ) ; Since the value of the output y ( t ) depends on only
the present values of the input x( t ), the system is memoryless.

(b) E.g . t  5, y (5)  x(5) cos c (5) ; Since the output y ( t ) does not depend on the future values of the input
x(t), the system is causal.

(c) Let x(t )  1 x(t )   2 x(t ). Then

y (t )  1x1(t )   2 x 2(t )cos c t
 1x1 (t ) cos ct   2 x2 (t ) cos c t
 1 y1 (t )   2 y2 (t )
Thus, the system is linear.

(d) Let y1 (t ) x1 (t )  x (t  t0 ) . Then

be the output produced by the shifted input
y1 (t )  T x(t  t0 )  x(t  t0 ) cos c (t )

But y (t  t0 )  x(t  t0 ) cos c (t  t0 )  y1 (t ) . Hence, the system is not time-invariant.

Solved Problems signals and systems

(e) Since cos c t  1, we have

y (t )  x(t ) cos c t  x(t )
Thus, if the input x(t) is bounded, then the output y(t) is also bounded and the system is BIB0 stable.

3. Evaluate y (t )  x(t )  h(t ), where x(t )  u (t )  u (t  3) and h(t )  u (t )  u (t  2)

(a) by an analytical technique, and (b) by a graphical method.
Solved Problems signals and systems

(b) by a graphical method.

Functions h( ), x( ) and h(t   ), x( )h(t   ) for different values of t are sketched in figure below.
We see that x( ) and h(t   ) do not overlap for t  0 and t  5, and hence y (t )  0 for t  0 and
t  5 . For the other intervals, x( ) and h(t   ) overlap. Thus, computing the area under the rectangular
pluses for these intervals, we obtain
Solved Problems signals and systems
 Signals & Systems
Questions Set 04
Solved Problems signals and systems

4. The continuous-time system consists of two integrators and two scalar multipliers. Write a differential
equation that relates the output y(t) and the input x( t ).

dw(t )
e(t )   a1w(t )  a2 y(t )  x(t ) -------------- (1)
dt
Since w(t ) is the input to the second integrator, we have
dy(t )
w(t ))  -------------- (2)
dt
Substituting Eq. (2) into Eq. (1), we get

d 2 y (t ) dy(t )
 a1  a2 y (t )  x(t )
dt 2 dt
d 2 y (t ) dy(t )
Or  a1  a2 y (t )  x(t )
dt 2 dt

5. The impulse response h[n] of a discrete-time LTI system. (a). Determine and sketch the output y[n] of this
system to the input x[n]. (b) without using the convolution technique.

h[n]   [n]   [n  1]   [n  2]   [n  3]   [n  4]   [n  5] ,
x[n]   [n  2]   [n  4]
x[n]  h[n]  x[n]   [n]   [n  1]   [n  2]   [n  3]   [n  4]   [n  5]
 x[n]  x[n  1]  x[n  2]  x[n  3]  x[n  4]  x[n  5]
Solved Problems signals and systems

y[n]   [n  2]   [n  4]   [n  3]   [n  5]   [n  4]   [n  6]   [n  5]   [n  7]
  [n  6]   [n  8]   [n  7]   [n  9]
  [n  2]   [n  3]  2 [n  6]  2 [n  7]   [n  8]   [n  9]
y[n]  0,0,1,1,0,0,2,2,1,1

6. Consider the discrete-time system. Write a difference equation that relates the output y[n] and the input x[n].
Solved Problems signals and systems

7. Write the input-output equation for the system.

w[n]

w[n  1]
1
w[n]  x[n]  w[n  1] ---------------- (1)
2
y[n]  2w[n]  w[n  1] ---------------- (2)
Solving Eqs.(1) and (2) for w[n] and w[n  1] in term of x[n] and y[n]
1
w[n  1]  y[n]  x[n] ---------------- (3)
2
1 1
w[n]  y[n]  x[n] ---------------- (4)
4 2
Changing n to (n  1) in Eq.(4)
1 1
w[n  1]  y[n  1]  x[n  1] ---------------- (5)
4 2
Thus, equating Eq.(4) and Eq.(5), we have
1 1 1
y[n]  x[n]  y[n  1]  x[n  1]
2 4 2
Multiplying both sides of the above equation by 4
2 y[n]  4 x[n]  y[n  1]  2 x[n  1]
and rearranging terms, we obtain
2 y[n]  y[n  1]  4 x[n]  2 x[n  1]