Lecture 28 Impulse Functions

11/18/2011

Impulse functions.
Impulse functions are functions that are zero everywhere except at one single points, and furthermore
when integrated over R give a nonzero value.
Unit impulse function (guess this is engineering jargon. In physics its known as the Dirac -
function, and in mathematics just ).
(t) = 0 for all t  0, and (t) dt = 1.
R

Translations: Z
(t a) = 0 for all t  a, (t a) = 1. (1)

Properties.
Its easy to see that
t2
Z 
0 a < t1 or a > t2
(t a) dx = (2)
t1 1 t1 < a < t2

Remark. What if t1 = a or t2 = a? In these cases we have to clarify whether our (t a) means

(t (a + )) a unit impulse just to the right of a, (t (a )) a unit impulse just to the left
R t
of a, or (t a) that is a unit impulse sit right at a. The reasonable values of a 2 (t a) dx
are then
Z t2 Z t2 Z t2
1
(t (a + )) = 1; (t (a )) = 0; (t a) = . (3)
a a a 2
Similar argument works if t2 = a.

More generally we have, for any continuous function f ,

Z t2 
0 a < t1 or a > t2
(t a)f (t) dt = (4)
t1 f (a) t1 < a < t2

To see why, consider the following argument:

The first case is obvious;
To prove the second case, first realize what continuity of f (at a) means: Given any
> 0, there is > 0 such that when |t a| < , |f (t) f (a)| < .
Now consider a given > 0. Let be as in above. If |t1 a| or |t2 a| is even smaller
than , change to that smaller value.
Now compute
Z t2 Z t2
(t a)f (t) dt = (t a) f (t) dt
t1 a+
Z a+
+ (t a) f (t) dt
Za
a
+ (t a) f (t) dt
t1
Z a+
= 0+ (t a) f (t) dt + 0
a
Z a+
= (t a) f (t) dt
a

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2 Lecture 28 Impulse Functions

Z a+ Z a+
= (t a) f (a) dt + (t a) (f (t) f (a)) dt
a
Z a+ Z a
a+
= f (a) (t a) dt + (t a) (f (t) f (a)) dt
a a
Z a+
= f (a) + (t a) (f (t) f (a)) dt. (5)
a

Finally notice:
Z  Z
 a+  a+ Z a+
(t a) (f (t) f (a)) dt 6 (t a) |f (t) f (a)| < (t a) = (6)
 

 a  a a

Summarizing what we have shown:

Z t 
 2 

 (t a)f (t) dt f (a) < . (7)
t1

As can be any positive number, it must be true that

Z t 
 2 

 (t a)f (t) dt f (a) = 0. (8)
t1

Laplace transform of impulse functions.

In our class we only consider a > 0. Since all we care about is what happens when t > 0.
Clearly est is continuous for every s. So
Z
L{(t a)} = est (t a) dt = eas. (9)
0

More generally, if f (t) is continuous, then so is est f (t) and we have

Z
L{f (t) (t a)} = est f (t) (t a) dt = eas f (a). (10)
0

Example 1. Compute
 2

L et sin 3 ln (cos t) (t 1) . (11)
Solution. Identify
2

f (t) = et sin 3 ln (cos t) , a = 1. (12)
So
 2


L et sin 3 ln (cos t) (t 1) = eas f (a) = es e1 sin 3 ln (cos 1) . (13)

Equations with impulse right hand side.

Example 2. Solve
y + 4 y = (t ) (t 2 ), y(0) = 0, y (0) = 0. (14)
Solution.
First take Laplace transform of the equation: Recall
L{y } = s2 Y s y(0) y (0). (15)
So the transformed equation is
(s2 + 4) Y = es e2s. (16)
Next find Y :
es e2s
Y= . (17)
s2 + 4 s2 + 4
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Finally take the inverse transform: Recall

L1{eas F (s)} = u(t a) f (t a) (18)
1
where f (t) = L {F (s)}.
n s o
e 1 1
L 1 s2 + 4 : Identify a = , F (s) = s2 + 4 . So f (t) = 2 sin (2 t). Therefore
 s 
e 1 1
L1 2 = u(t ) f (t ) = u(t ) sin (2 (t )) = u(t ) sin (2 t). (19)
s +4 2 2
n 2s o
e 1
L 1 s2 + 4 = 2 u(t 2 )sin(2 t).

So finally
1
y= sin (2 t) [u(t ) u(t 2 )]. (20)
2
To understand the solution better, we can further write it into the piecewise form:

0 t<


1
y= sin (2 t) < t < 2 . (21)

2
0 t>2
Example 3. Solve

 
2 y + y + 4 y = t sin (t), y(0) = y (0) = 0. (22)
6
Solution. First recall
L{y } = s2 Y s y(0) y (0); (23)
L{y } = s Y y(0) (24)
1 s
n   o  
s
L t sin (t) = e 6 sin = e 6 . (25)
6 6 2
Now we can write down the transformed equation
1 6 s
(2 s2 + s + 4) Y = e . (26)
2
This gives

s
1 e 6
Y (s) = . (27)
2 2 s2 + s + 4
To compute inverse transform recall
L1{eas F (s)} = u(t a) f (t a). (28)
Identify:
1 1
F (s) = 2
; a= . (29)
2 2s +s+4 6
We need to compute
 
1 1 1
f (t) = L
2 2 s2 + s + 4
 
1 1 1
= L
4 s2 + s/2 + 2
( )
1 1 1
= L 1
31
4 s + 4 2 + 16
!
1 t/4 4 31
= e sin t
4 31 4
!
1 t/4 31
= e sin t .
31 4
4 Lecture 28 Impulse Functions

Now we can write

(
s
) !
1 e 6 1 31
 
 
1 t 6 /4
y=L 2
=u t e sin t . (30)
2 2s +s+4 6 31 4 6