ECE1004 - Signals and Systems

Practice Questions for Module 2 (Systems Concepts)

2.1 Determine whether the following systems are linear and time-invariant.

(a) y(t) = −3x(t + 1) + 2

(b) y[n] = 3x[n/2]

Answer: (a) Consider y(t) = −3x(t + 1) + 2

Linearity: For the individual inputs x1 (t) and x2 (t), the outputs will be y1 (t) = −3x1 (t + 1) + 2
and y2 (t) = −3x2 (t + 1) + 2 respectively.

For the combined input x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t),

y3 (t) = −3x3 (t + 1) + 2
n o
= −3 × a1 x1 (t + 1) + a2 x2 (t + 1) + 2 [since x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t)]
= a1 × (−3) × x1 (t + 1) + a2 × (−3) × x2 (t + 1) + 2
, a1 y1 (t) + a2 y2 (t). [since y1 (t) = −3x1 (t + 1) + 2 & y2 (t) = −3x2 (t + 1) + 2]

Therefore, the system is not linear.

Time-invariance: For the actual input x(t), the output is y(t) = −3x(t + 1) + 2. Therefore,
y(t − T ) = −3x(t − T + 1) + 2.

For the delayed input x1 (t) = x(t − T ),

y1 (t) = −3x1 (t + 1) + 2
= −3x(t − T + 1) + 2 [since x1 (t) = x(t − T )]
= y(t − T ). [since y(t − T ) = −3x(t − T + 1) + 2]

Therefore, the system is non-linear and time invariant.

(b) Consider y[n] = 3x[n/2]

Linearity: For the individual inputs x1 [n] and x2 [n], the outputs will be y1 [n] = 3x1 [n/2] and
y2 [n] = 3x2 [n/2] respectively.

1
 For the combined input x3 [n] = a1 x1 [n] + a2 x2 [n],

y3 [n] = 3x3 [n/2]

n o
= 3 × a1 x1 [n/2] + a2 x2 [n/2] [since x3 [n] = a1 x1 [n] + a2 x2 [n]]
= a1 × 3 × x1 [n/2] + a2 × 3 × x2 [n/2]
= a1 y1 [n] + a2 y2 [n]. [since y1 [n] = 3x1 [n/2] & y2 [n] = 3x2 [n/2]

Therefore, the system is linear.

Time-invariance: For the actual input x[n], the output is y[n] = 3x[n/2]. Therefore, y[n − K] =
3x[(n − K)/2] = 3x[n/2 − K/2].

For the delayed input x1 [n] = x[n − K],

y1 [n] = 3x1 [n/2]

= 3x[n/2 − K] [since x1 [n] = x[n − K]]
, y[n − K]. [since y[n − K] = 3x[n/2 − K/2]]

Therefore, the system is linear and not time invariant.

2.2 Determine whether the following systems are static, causal, stable, linear and time-invariant.

(a) y(t) = {2 + sin(t)}x(t) (c) y(t) = cos[x(t)]

(b) y(t) = t x(t) (d) y(t) = d

dt
x(t)

Answer: (a) Consider y(t) = {2 + sin(t)}x(t)

• The system is static. The output does not depend on any past or future input.

• The system is causal. The output does not depend on any future input.

• The system is stable. For a bounded x(t), the output y(t) is also bounded since sin(t) is
always bounded.

• The system is linear. For the individual inputs x1 (t) and x2 (t), the outputs will be y1 (t) =
{2 + sin(t)}x1 (t) and y2 (t) = {2 + sin(t)}x2 (t) respectively.

2
 For the combined input x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t),

y3 (t) = {2 + sin(t)}x3 (t)

= a1 {2 + sin(t)}x1 (t) + a2 {2 + sin(t)}x2 (t) [since x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t)]
= a1 y1 (t) + a2 y2 (t). [since y1 (t) = {2 + sin(t)}x1 (t) & y2 (t) = {2 + sin(t)}x2 (t)]

• The system is not time-invariant. For the actual input x(t), the output is y(t) = {2 +
sin(t)}x(t). Therefore, y(t − T ) = {2 + sin(t − T )}x(t − T ).

For the delayed input x1 (t) = x(t − T ),

y1 (t) = {2 + sin(t)}x1 (t)

= {2 + sin(t)}x(t − T ) [since x1 (t) = x(t − T )]
, y(t − T ). [since y(t − T ) = {2 + sin(t − T )}x(t − T )]

(b) Consider y(t) = t x(t)

• The system is static. The output does not depend on any past or future input.

• The system is causal. The output does not depend on any future input.

• The system is unstable. For a bounded x(t), the output y(t) is not bounded. For t = ∞,
y(t) = ∞.

• The system is linear. For the individual inputs x1 (t) and x2 (t), the outputs will be y1 (t) =
t x1 (t) and y2 (t) = t x2 (t) respectively.

For the combined input x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t),

y3 (t) = t x3 (t)
= a1 t x1 (t) + a2 t x2 (t) [since x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t)]
= a1 y1 (t) + a2 y2 (t). [since y1 (t) = t x1 (t) & y2 (t) = t x2 (t)]

• The system is not time-invariant. For the actual input x(t), the output is y(t) = t x(t).
Therefore, y(t − T ) = (t − T ) x(t − T ).

3
 For the delayed input x1 (t) = x(t − T ),

y1 (t) = t x1 (t)
= t x(t − T ) [since x1 (t) = x(t − T )]
, y(t − T ). [since y(t − T ) = (t − T ) x(t − T )]

(c) Consider y(t) = cos[x(t)]

• The system is static. The output does not depend on any past or future input.

• The system is causal. The output does not depend on any future input.

• The system is stable. For a bounded x(t), the output y(t) is also bounded since cos(.) is
always bounded.

• The system is non-linear. For the individual inputs x1 (t) and x2 (t), the outputs will be
y1 (t) = cos[x1 (t)] and y2 (t) = cos[x2 (t)] respectively.

For the combined input x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t),

y3 (t) = cos[x3 (t)]

 
= cos a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t) [since x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t)]
       
= cos a1 x1 (t) cos a2 x2 (t) − sin a1 x1 (t) sin a2 x2 (t) [since cos(A + B) = cos(A) cos(B)

− sin(A) sin(B)]
, a1 y1 (t) + a2 y2 (t). [since y1 (t) = cos[x1 (t)] & y2 (t) = cos[x2 (t)]]

• The system is time-invariant. For the actual input x(t), the output is y(t) = cos[x(t)]. There-
fore, y(t − T ) = cos[x(t − T )].
For the delayed input x1 (t) = x(t − T ),

y1 (t) = cos[x1 (t)]

= cos[x(t − T )] [since x1 (t) = x(t − T )]
= y(t − T ). [since y(t − T ) = cos[x(t − T )]]

(d) Consider y(t) = d

dt
x(t)

4
• The system is dynamic. The derivative of a function at a specific point t = t0 cannot be
determined just from the knowledge of the value of the function at t = t0 . The derivative can
be determined from the expression

d x(t) − x(t − h)
x(t) = lim+
dt h→0 h

which depends on past values of x(t).

• The system is causal. The above expression for evaluating dtd x(t) depends only on the present
and past values of x(t) and not on the future values of x(t).
√
• The system is unstable. Consider a counter example x(t) = 1 − t2 , −1 < t < 1, and it is
zero otherwise. Its derivative
d t
x(t) = − √
dt 1 − t2
goes to −∞ when t approaches 1.

• The system is linear. For the individual inputs x1 (t) and x2 (t), the outputs will be y1 (t) =
d
x (t) and y2 (t) = dtd x2 (t) respectively.
dt 1

For the combined input x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t),

d
y3 (t) = x3 (t)
dt
d  
= a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t) [since x3 (t) = a1 x1 (t) + a2 x2 (t)]
dt
d d
= a1 × x1 (t) + a2 × x2 (t)
dt dt
d d
= a1 y1 (t) + a2 y2 (t). [since y1 (t) = x1 (t) & y2 (t) = x2 (t)]
dt dt

• The system is time-invariant. For the actual input x(t), the output is y(t) = d
dt
x(t). Therefore,
y(t − T ) = dtd x(t − T ).
For the delayed input x1 (t) = x(t − T ),

d
y1 (t) = x1 (t)
dt
d
= x(t − T ) [since x1 (t) = x(t − T )]
dt
d
= y(t − T ). [since y(t − T ) = x(t − T )]
dt

5
 2.3 Determine whether the following DT LTI systems (characterized by their impulse response)
are memoryless, causal and BIBO stable.

(a) h[n] = 3δ[n − 1] + δ[n − 3]

(b) h[n] = δ[n + 1] + 2δ[n] + 2δ[n − 1] + δ[n − 2]

Answer: (a) Consider h[n] = 3δ[n − 1] + δ[n − 3]

• The system is not memoryless since h[n] , cδ[n].

• The system is causal. For n < 0, h[n] = 0.

|h[n]| = 3 + 1 = 4 < ∞.
P∞
• The system is BIBO stable. n=−∞

(b) Consider h[n] = δ[n + 1] + 2δ[n] + 2δ[n − 1] + δ[n − 2]

• The system is not memoryless since h[n] , cδ[n].

• The system is non-causal. For n < 0, h[n] , 0. In other words, h[−1] = 1.

|h[n]| = 1 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 6 < ∞.
P∞
• The system is BIBO stable. n=−∞

2.4 Find the equivalent impulse response h[n] of the overall system shown in Figure 1, where
h1 [n] = δ[n − 4], h2 [n] = δ[n − 2], and h3 [n] = δ[n + 1]. In addition, determine whether the overall
system is memoryless, causal and BIBO stable.

Figure 1: Overall system for Question 2.4

Answer: The impulse response of the overall system is

h[n] = {h1 [n] + h2 [n]} ∗ h3 [n].

6
Given h1 [n] = δ[n − 4], h2 [n] = δ[n − 2], and h3 [n] = δ[n + 1],

h[n] = {h1 [n] + h2 [n]} ∗ h3 [n]

= h1 [n] ∗ h3 [n] + h2 [n] ∗ h3 [n]
= δ[n − 4] ∗ δ[n + 1] + δ[n − 2] ∗ δ[n + 1]
h[n] = δ[n − 3] + δ[n − 1]

• The system is not memoryless since h[n] , cδ[n].

• The system is causal. For n < 0, h[n] = 0.

|h[n]| = 1 + 1 = 2 < ∞.
P∞
• The system is BIBO stable. n=−∞