ELEC 221 Lecture 09

Properties of the CT Fourier Transform

Tuesday 04 February 2025

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Announcements

Assignment 2 due on Feb 7

Tutorial Assignment 2 due on Feb 7

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Last time

We generalized the CT Fourier series (for periodic signals) to the

Fourier transform (for aperiodic signals):

We expressed the periodic extension of an aperiodic function as

→
!
x̃(t) = ck e jkω0 t
k=↑→

Image credit: Oppenheim chapter 4.1

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Last time

We computed its Fourier coe!cients:

" "
1 T /2 1 T /2
ck = x̃(t)e ↑jkω0 t dt = x(t)e ↑jkω0 t dt
T ↑T /2 T ↑T /2
"
1 →
= x(t)e ↑jkω0 t dt
T ↑→
1
= X (jkω0 )
T

We put this into the Fourier series and let T → ↑ (ω0 → 0):
!→ →
1 1 !
x̃(t) = X (jkω0 )e jkω0 t = X (jkω0 )e jkω0 t ω0
T 2ε
k=↑→ k=↑→
" →
1
lim x̃(t) = X (jω)e jωt dω = x(t)
T ↓→ 2ε ↑→

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Last time

Inverse Fourier transform (synthesis equation):

" →
1
x(t) = X (jω)e jωt dω
2ε ↑→

Fourier transform (analysis equation):

" →
X (jω) = x(t)e ↑jωt dt
↑→

We found that the frequency response of a system is actually

related to the impulse response by a Fourier transform:
" →
1
h(t) = H(jω)e jωt dω
2ε ↑→

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Preview

The Fourier spectrum contains a lot of important and useful

information about signals!

You will experience this directly in Tutorial Assignment 3.

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Today

Learning outcomes:
State su!cient criteria for a signal to have a Fourier transform
Compute the Fourier transform of a periodic signal
Leverage key properties of Fourier transform to simplify its
computation

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Convergence of Fourier transforms

Analogous to Fourier series for CT signals:

If x(t) has finite energy, i.e.,

" →
|x(t)|2 dt < ↑
↑→

then
#→ ↑jωt dt
X (jω) = ↑→ x(t)e converges,
and " →
1
x̂(t) = X (jω)e jωt dω
2ε ↑→

is a valid representation of x(t) in the sense that

" →
|x(t) ↓ x̂(t)|2 dt = 0
↑→

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Dirichlet conditions for Fourier transforms

Alternative set of su!cient conditions (also analogous to Fourier

series for CT signals):

If a signal
#→
1. is absolutely integrable ( ↑→
|x(t)|dt < ↑)
2. has a finite number of maxima and minima within any finite interval
3. has a finite number of finite discontinuities within any finite interval

then the Fourier transform converges to

x(t) where it is continuous
the average of the values on either side at a discontinuity

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 Dirichlet conditions for Fourier transforms

(a) x(t) = 1/t is not absolutely integrable

Image credit: Oppenheim chapter 3.4

(b) x(t) = sin(2ε/t) has infinitely many

maxima and minima within 0 < t ↔ 1

(c) x(t) = (1/2)k for Tk ↔ t < Tk+1 ,

k = 0, 1, . . . , where T0 = 0,
Tk = Tk↑1 + 4/k for k = 1, 2, . . . has
infinitely many discontinuities within
0↔t<8

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Convergence of Fourier transforms

Are periodic signals absolutely (square) integrable?

3

1
-2cos(6 t)

3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
t

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Exercise 1

What signal does the following Fourier transform belong to?

X (jω) = 2εϑ(ω ↓ ω0 )

" →
1
x(t) = X (jω)e jωt dω
2ε ↑→
" →
1
= 2εϑ(ω ↓ ω0 )e jωt dω
2ε ↑→
" →
= ϑ(ω ↓ ω0 )e jωt dω
↑→
jω0 t
= e

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Exercise 2

What signal does the following Fourier transform belong to?

→
!
X (jω) = 2εck ϑ(ω ↓ kω0 )
k=↑→

" →
1
x(t) = X (jω)e jωt dω
2ε ↑→
" → →
!
1
= 2εck ϑ(ω ↓ kω0 )e jωt dω
2ε ↑→ k=↑→
→
! " →
= ck ϑ(ω ↓ kω0 )e jωt dω
k=↑→ ↑→

!→
= ck e jkω0 t
k=↑→

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Fourier transforms for periodic signals: a unified representation

The Fourier transform of a periodic function is an impulse train.

→
!
X (jω) = 2εck ϑ(ω ↓ kω0 )
k=↑→

The impulses have area 2εck and are positioned at the

harmonically related frequencies.

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Fourier transforms for periodic signals: a unified representation

Remember our square wave from last time:

It had Fourier series coe!cients

2T1 2 sin(kω0 T1 )
c0 = , ck =
T kω0 T

Image credit: Oppenheim chapter 4.1

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Fourier transforms for periodic signals: a unified representation

Its Fourier transform will be

→
! 2 sin(kω0 T1 )
X (jω) = 2εc0 ϑ(ω) + 2ε ϑ(ω ↓ kω0 )
kω0 T
k=↑→,k↔=0

(Plotted for T = 4T1 )

Image credit: Oppenheim chapter 4.2
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Example

Let’s consider a single square pulse:

$
1 |t| < T1 ,
x(t) =
0 |t| > T1

Its Fourier spectrum is

sin(ωT1 )
X (jω) = 2
ω

Image credit: Oppenheim chapter 4.1

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Example

Image credit: Oppenheim chapter 4.1

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Exercise

What is the Fourier transform of x(t) = e ↑at u(t) (Re(a) > 0)?
" →
X (jω) = x(t)e ↑jωt dt
"↑→
→
= e ↑at u(t)e ↑jωt dt
↑→
" →
1
= e ↑(jω+a)t dt
2ε 0
↓1 ↑(jω+a)t →
= e |0
a + jω
1
=
a + jω

1 F 1
F(e ↑at u(t)) = , e ↑at u(t) ↗ , Re(a) > 0
a + jω a + jω
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Example: Fourier transform properties

What is the Fourier transform of x(t) = e ↑2|t↑1| ?

$
e ↑2(t↑1) , t>1
x(t) =
e ↑2(↑t+1) , t<1
= e ↑2(t↑1) u(t ↓ 1) + e ↑2(↑t+1) u(↓t + 1)

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Important properties of the Fourier transform

The Fourier transform has many useful properties that help with
evaluating it for arbitrary functions.

Linearity.
F
x(t) ↘
→ X (jω)
F
y (t) ↘
→ Y (jω)

F
ax(t) + by (t) ↘
→ aX (jω) + bY (jω)

Our example:
% &
F e ↑2(t↑1) u(t ↓ 1) + e ↑2(↑t+1) u(↓t + 1)
% & % &
= F e ↑2(t↑1) u(t ↓ 1) + F e ↑2(↑t+1) u(↓t + 1)

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Important properties of the Fourier transform

Time shifting. If
F
x(t) ↘
→ X (jω)

then
F
→ e ↑jωt0 X (jω)
x(t ↓ t0 ) ↘

Notice: |X (jω)| does not change; we just add a linear phase shift.

Our example:

F 1 F e ↑jω
e ↑at u(t) ↘
→ ≃ e ↑2(t↑1) u(t ↓ 1) ↘
→
a + jω 2 + jω

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Important properties of the Fourier transform

Time scaling. If
F
x(t) ↘
→ X (jω)

then ' (
F 1 jω
x(at) ↘
→ X
|a| a

Time reversal follows from this:

F
x(↓t) ↘
→ X (↓jω)

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Important properties of the Fourier transform

Our example: we have

e ↑2(t↑1) u(t ↓ 1) + e ↑2(↑t+1) u(↓t + 1) = z(t) + z(↓t + 2)

e ↑jω e jω
F(e ↑2|t↑1| ) = + e ↑2jω
2 + jω 2 ↓ jω
e ↑jω e ↑jω
= +
2 + jω 2 ↓ jω
e ↑jω (2 ↓ jω) + e ↑jω (2 + jω)
=
(2 + jω)(2 ↓ jω)
4e ↑jω
=
4 + ω2

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Important properties of the Fourier transform

Conjugation. If
F
x(t) ↘
→ X (jω)

then
F
x ↗ (t) ↘
→ X ↗ (↓jω)

If x(t) is purely real,

F
→ X ↗ (jω)
X (↓jω) ↘

Implications for even/odd parts of a signal:

F
x(t) ↘
→ X (jω)
F
Even(x(t)) ↘
→ Re(X (jω))
F
Odd(x(t)) ↘
→ j · Im(X (jω))
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For next time

Content:
Time-frequency duality
Convolution and multiplication properties

Recommended reading:
From today’s class: Oppenheim 4.2-4.3
Suggested problems: 4.2-4.4, 4.6, 4.9, 4.21bcdgh, 4.27
For next class: Oppenheim 4.3-4.6

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