MMD IFF E Q M ORE WITH L APLACE T RANSFORMS

NAME: DATE:


t

0≤t <1
1. Find Laplace Transform L { f (t )} for f (t ) =
1 t ≥ 1


2. Find Laplace Transform L {t cos t }.

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MMD IFF E Q M ORE WITH L APLACE T RANSFORMS

3. If L { f (t )} = F (s) and a > 0 is a constant, show that

1 ³s´
L { f (at )} = F
a a

4. Show that if L { f (t )} exists for some a ∈ ℜ, then it exists for all complex numbers s = a + bi .

Thus, we can focus on the Real part of s when we determine the domain of F (s).

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MMD IFF E Q M ORE WITH L APLACE T RANSFORMS

E XPONENTIAL O RDER

A function f (t ) is of exponential order if there exists constants c, M > 0, and T > 0 such that

| f (t )| ≤ Me c t

for all t > T .

f (t )
To check this, compute lim . If the limit exists and is finite, then f (t ) is of exponential order.
t →∞ e ct

5. Determine which of the following functions are of exponential order:

2
(a) f (t ) = t (b) f (t ) = e 4t cos t (c) f (t ) = e t

Note: Although we can come up with functions that are not of exponential order, functions of exponential order encom-
pass virtually everything encountered in applications.

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MMD IFF E Q M ORE WITH L APLACE T RANSFORMS

P IECEWISE C ONTINUOUS

A function f (t ) defined for t ≥ 0 is piecewise continuous if it has finitely many jump discontinuities in any interval
0 < t ≤ T but is continuous at all other points (including t = 0, in that lim f (t ) = f (0)).
t →0+

6. Explain why the function





 t 0≤t <2

f (t ) = 4 2<t <5



 1

t −5 t ≥5

is not piecewise continuous on [0, ∞).

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MMD IFF E Q M ORE WITH L APLACE T RANSFORMS

THEOREM: If f is piecewise continuous on [0, ∞) and of exponential order, then L { f (t )} exists for s > c.

Note: These two conditions are sufficient but not necessary for the existence of a Laplace transform.

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MMD IFF E Q M ORE WITH L APLACE T RANSFORMS

THEOREM: If f is piecewise continuous on [0, ∞) and of exponential order and L { f (t )} = F (s), then lim F (s) = 0.
s→∞

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MMD IFF E Q M ORE WITH L APLACE T RANSFORMS

7. Find Laplace Transform L {(e t − e −t )2 }.

8. Show that
s − a + bi
L {e (a+bi )t } =
(s − a)2 + b 2

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