Module 1: Classification

and Characteristics of
Signals
Signals, Spectra, Digital Signal Processing (ELE
5)
by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca
Introduction
Definition
Signal
a gesture, action, or sound that is used to convey
information or instructions, typically by prearrangement
between the parties concerned.
"a signal to stop"

an electrical impulse or radio wave transmitted or received.

"equipment for receiving TV signals"

transmit information or instructions by means of a gesture,

action, or sound.
"hold your fire until I signal

Source: Google

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Introduction
Definition
Signal
In electronics, a signal is an electric current or
electromagnetic field used to convey data from one
place to another. The simplest form of signal is a direct
current (DC) that is switched on and off; this is the
principle by which the early telegraph worked. More
complex signals consist of an alternating-current (AC)
or electromagnetic carrier that contains one or more
data streams.

Source:
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/signal

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Introduction
Definition
Signal
A signal is the physical information about a
measured variable being transmitted between a
process and a measurement system

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Introduction
If we analyze a number of daily situations, we
could come out with numerous examples, where
we encounter signals of different nature: optical,
acoustic (speech), magnetic (tape recorder) and
so on.

Although in most of these situations the signal

evolves in time, like the blinker of the car, or the
case of an acoustic signal, this is not always the
case. A picture conveys information by a display
of colors and intensity levels which do not change
time but in the space defined by the printed
paper.

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Introduction
In many applications, a signal has to be converted
from one form to another. For example a tape
recorder converts the acoustic signal into an
electric signal into a magnetic signal on the tape.
Similarly a radio converts an electromagnetic
signal (radio waves) into an electric signal, into an
acoustic signal we can hear.

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

SIGNAL CLASSIFICATION &
PROPERTIES

Continuous time vs Discrete Time

Analog vs Digital
Periodic vs Aperiodic
Finite vs Infinite Length
Casual vs vs Anti-causal vs Non-Causal
Even vs Odd
Deterministic vs Random

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Continuous vs Discrete
As the name suggest, this classification is
determined by whether or not the time axis is
discrete (countable) or continuous (Figure 1).
A continuous-time signal will contain a value for
all real numbers along the time axis.
In contrast to this, a discrete-time signal 1, often
created by sampling a continuous signal, will only
have values at equally spaced intervals along the
time axis.

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Continuous vs Discrete

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Analog vs Digital
The difference between analog and digital is
similar to the difference between continuous-time
and discrete-time.
However, in this case the difference involves the
values of the function. Analog corresponds to a
continuous set of possible function values , while
digital corresponds to a discrete set of possible
function values.
A common example of a digital signal is a binary
sequence, where the values of the function can
only be one or zero.

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Analog vs Digital

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Periodic vs Aperiodic
Periodic signals (continuous time periodic signals)
repeat with some period T, while aperiodic, or
nonperiodic, signals do not (Figure3).
We can define aperiodic function through the
following mathematical expression, where t can
be any number and T is a positive constant:
(1)
fundamental period of our function, f(t), is the
smallest value of T that the still allows (1) to be
true.

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Periodic vs Aperiodic

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Finite vs Infinite Length
Another way of classifying a signal is in terms of
its length along its time axis. Is the signal defined
for all possible values of time, or for only certain
values of time?
Mathematically speaking, f (t) is a finite-length
signal if it is defined only over a finite interval

where t1 <t2.
Similarly, an infinite-length signal, f (t), is
defined for all values:

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Causal vs Anti-causal vs Non-causal

Causal signals are signals that are zero for all

negative time, while anticausal are signals that
are zero for all positive time.
Noncausal signals are signals that have nonzero
values in both positive and negative time
(Figure4).

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Even vs Odd
An even signal is any signal f such that f (t)= f
(-t). Even signals can be easily spotted as they
are symmetric around the vertical axis.
An odd signal, on the other hand, is a signal f
such that f (t)= - f (-t) (Figure5).

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Deterministic vs Random
A deterministic signal is a signal in which each
value of the signal is fixed, being determined by a
mathematical expression, rule, or table.
On the other hand, the values of a random
signal are not strictly defined, but are subject to
some amount of variability.

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

Deterministic vs Random

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig

CHARACTERISTICS OF SIGNALS

Magnitude
Range
Amplitude
Frequency
Dynamic
Static
Deterministic
Non-Deterministic

Prepared by: Engr. Rica Jane Y. Kosca, Assistant Professor I, TUP-Taguig