Scribd
Upload
61 views

ECEN 314: Signals and Systems: 1 Causality

1. The document discusses three key properties of systems: causality, time-invariance, and linearity. 2. A causal system's output depends only on current and past input values. A time-invariant system's behavior does not depend on time. A linear system satisfies additivity and homogeneity. 3. An example system is given to test if it is causal, time-invariant, or linear based on different input-output pairs. The response to specific inputs like impulse is also considered.

Uploaded by

MEIVELJ 19EE025
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
61 views

ECEN 314: Signals and Systems: 1 Causality

1. The document discusses three key properties of systems: causality, time-invariance, and linearity. 2. A causal system's output depends only on current and past input values. A time-invariant system's behavior does not depend on time. A linear system satisfies additivity and homogeneity. 3. An example system is given to test if it is causal, time-invariant, or linear based on different input-output pairs. The response to specific inputs like impulse is also considered.

Uploaded by

MEIVELJ 19EE025
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

ECEN 314: Signals and Systems

Lecture Notes 3: Basic System Properties

Reading:

• Current: SSOW 1.5-1.6

• Next: SSOW 2.1

1 Causality
A system is causal if the output does not anticipate future values of the input, i.e., if the
output at any time depends only on values of the input up to that time.

• All real-time physical systems are causal, because time only moves forward. Effect
occurs after cause. (Imagine if you own a non-causal system whose output depends on
tomorrows stock price.)

• Causality does not apply to spatially varying signals. (We can move both left and
right, up and down.)

• Causality does not apply to systems processing recorded data.

Example (Causal or non-causal):

• y(t) = x2 (t − 1)

• y(t) = x(t + 1)

• y[n] = x[−n]

• y[n] = 2n+1 x3 [n − 1]

Mathematically (in CT), consider a system x(t) → y(t). Let x1 (t) and x2 (t) be two input
signals with corresponding output signals y1 (t) and y2 (t), respectively. Then, the system is
causal if and only if

x1 (t) = x2 (t), ∀t < t0 =⇒ y1 (t) = y2 (t), ∀t < t0

1
2 Time-invariance
Informally, a system is time-invariant (TI) if its behavior does not depend on what time it
is. Mathematically (in CT), a system x(t) → y(t) is TI if

x(t) → y(t) =⇒ x(t − t0 ) → y(t − t0 ), ∀t0 ∈ R

Example (TI or time-varying (TV)):

• y(t) = x2 (t − 1). To check whether this system is TI or TV, we need to determine


the output corresponding to the input x(t − t0 ) and then compare it with y(t − t0 ).
Let x0 (t) = x(t − t0 ). Then y 0 (t) = [x0 (t − 1)]2 = [x(t − 1 − t0 )]2 . On the other hand,
y(t − t0 ) = x2 (t − t0 − 1). We conclude that y 0 (t) = y(t − t0 ) so the system is TI.

• y[n] = 2n+1 x3 [n − 1]. Let x0 [n] = x[n − n0 ]. Then, y 0 [n] = 2n+1 (x0 [n − 1])3 = 2n+1 (x[n −
n0 − 1])3 . On the other hand, y[n − n0 ] = 2n−n0 +1 x3 [n − n0 − 1]. In general, y 0 [n] 6=
y[n − n0 ], so the system is TV.

• y[n] = x[−n]. Let x0 [n] = x[n − n0 ]. Then, y 0 [n] = x0 [−n] = x[−n − n0 ]. On the other
hand, y[n − n0 ] = x[−(n − n0 )] = x[−n + n0 ]. In general, y 0 [n] 6= y[n − n0 ], so the
system is TV.

Fact: If the input to a TI system is periodic with a period T , then the output is also
periodic with a period T .
Proof. Suppose x(t + T ) = x(t) for all t ∈ R and x(t) → y(t). Then, by TI, x(t + T ) →
y(t + T ). The output of a system is fully determined by the input, so y(t) = y(t + T ), i.e.,
the output is also periodic with the same period T .

3 Linearity
A (CT) system is linear if it satisfies the following property:

x1 (t) → y1 (t) and x2 (t) → y2 (t) =⇒ ax1 (t) + bx2 (t) → ay1 (t) + by2 (t), ∀a, b ∈ C

Properties: Let x(t) → y(t) be a linear CT system. Then,

• (Additivity)

x1 (t) → y1 (t) and x2 (t) → y2 (t) =⇒ x1 (t) + x2 (t) → y1 (t) + y2 (t)

• (Homogeneity)

x1 (t) → y1 (t) =⇒ ax1 (t) → ay1 (t), ∀a ∈ C

2
• (Superposition)
X X
xk (t) → yk (t) =⇒ ak xk (t) → ak yk (t), ∀ak ∈ C
k k

Example (Linear or nonlinear):


• y(t) = x(2t). Let y1 (t) = x1 (2t), y2 (t) = x2 (2t), and x0 (t) = ax1 (t) + bx2 (t). Then
y 0 (t) = x0 (2t) = ax1 (2t) + bx2 (2t) = ay1 (t) + by2 (t). Conclusion: Linear.
• y[n] = x2 [n]. Let y[n] = x2 [n] and x0 [n] = 2x[n]. Then y 0 [n] = (x0 [n])2 = (2x[n])2 =
4x2 [n] 6= 2y[n]. Conclusion: The system is not additive and hence is nonlinear.
Facts:
a) A system is linear if and only if it is both additive and homogeneous.
b) For linear systems, zero input −→ zero output.
c) A linear system is causal if and only if it satisfies the condition of initial rest:

x(t) = 0, ∀t < t0 =⇒ y(t) = 0, ∀t < t0

Proof. Part a): We only need to prove the “if” part. Suppose that the system x(t) → y(t)
is both additive and homogeneous and that x1 (t) → y1 (t), x2 (t) → y2 (t). By homogeneity,
ax1 (t) → ay1 (t) and bx2 (t) → by2 (t). Furthermore, by additivity, ax1 (t) + bx2 (t) → ay1 (t) +
by2 (t). Conclusion: The system is linear.
Part b): Let x(t) → y(t) be a linear system. By homogeneity, 0 · x(t) → 0 · y(t).
Conclusion: Zero input −→ zero output.
Part c): Let x(t) → y(t) be a linear system. Let x(t) = 0 for all t < t0 and let x0 (t) = 0
be a zero input. From part b), y 0 (t) = 0 is a zero output. Note that x(t) = x0 (t) for all
t < t0 . If the system is also causal, then y(t) = y 0 (t) = 0 for all t < t0 . That is, the
initial rest condition must be satisfied. Conversely, suppose that the initial rest condition
is satisfied. Let x(t) = x0 (t) for all t < t0 . Then, x(t) − x0 (t) = 0 for all t < t0 . By
linearity, x(t) − x0 (t) → y(t) − y 0 (t). Furthermore, by the initial rest condition, the output
y(t) − y 0 (t) = 0 for all t < t0 . Thus, we have y(t) = y 0 (t) for all t < t0 , and we conclude that
the system must be causal.

Exercise: A DT system F is known to be TI. Three test input-output signal pairs are
depicted below (all signals are zero outside the region shown).

(a) Could the system be causal?


(b) Determine the response of the system to the unit impulse input.
(c) Could the system be linear?

3
3
x [n] y [n]
1 1
2 2
F
1 1

n n
0 1 2 0 1

3 y [n]
x2[n] 2
2 2
F

0
n n
0 1 2 1
−1 y3[n] 2
x3[n] 1 1 1
F
n n
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 5

You might also like