WS 2023-24 Prof. Dr. B.

Lange SS II

Solutions for 1st Exercises in signals and systems II

Exercise 1: Show that the discrete system S : (xn )n∈Z 7→ (yn )n∈Z with
n
X
yn = xk
k=−∞

can also be described by the difference equation

yn − yn−1 = xn .

Solution: From
n
X
yn = xk ,
k=−∞

it follows that
n−1
X
yn−1 = xk .
k=−∞

Inserting this into the left-hand-side of the suggested difference equation

yields
n
X n−1
X n−1
X n−1
X
yn − yn−1 = xk − xk = xk + xn − xk = xn .
k=−∞ k=−∞ k=−∞ k=−∞

Exercise 2: Show that the discrete system S : (xn )n∈Z 7→ (yn )n∈Z with
n
Ts X − nTs −kTs
yn = e T xk
T k=1

can also be described by the difference equation

Ts Ts
yn − e− T · yn−1 = · xn .
T

Solution: From
n
Ts X − nTs −kTs
yn = e T · xk ,
T k=1

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WS 2023-24 Prof. Dr. B. Lange SS II

it follows that
n−1 n−1
Ts X − (n−1)Ts −kTs Ts Ts X − nTs −kTs
yn−1 = e T · xk = ·e T e T · xk .
T k=1 T k=1

Inserting this into the left-hand-side of the suggested difference equation

yields
n n−1
− TTs Ts X − nTs −kTs − TTs Ts Ts X − nTs −kTs
yn − e · yn−1 = e T · xk − e · ·e T e T · xk
T k=1 T k=1
n n−1
Ts X − nTs −kTs Ts X − nTs −kTs
= e T · xk − e T · xk
T k=1 T k=1
n−1 n−1
Ts X − nTs −kTs Ts − nTs −nTs Ts X − nTs −kTs
= e T · xk + ·e T · xn − e T · xk
T k=1 T T k=1
Ts
= · xn .
T

Exercise 3: Consider the discrete system S : (xn )n∈Z 7→ (yn )n∈Z that is
characterized by the difference equation

yn − a · yn−1 = b · xn

with constants a, b ∈ R. Assume that the system S is initially at rest and

that the input signal (xn )n is causal.
a) Show that the system S is causal and time-invariant.
b) For which parameters a, b ∈ R is the system S BIBO stable?
c) Determine the impulse response (hn )n∈Z of the system S.
Solution:
a) The system is causal because yn = a · yn−1 + b · xn does not depend on
elements of (xn )n with indices greater than n.
The time-invariance is clear because substituting n by n − k in

yn = a · yn−1 + b · xn ,

leads to

yn−k = a · yn−k−1 + b · xn−k ,

i. e. an index-shifted copy (xn−k )n of the input signal yields an equally shifted

output signal (yn−k )n .

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b) For the stability one has to consider how the output signal depends on
the input signal. Since the both the input signal and the system are causal,
the output signal is also causal, i. e. yn = 0 for n < 0. From
yn = b · xn + a · yn−1
the first elements of the output signal can be determined to be
y0 = b · x0
y1 = b · x1 + a · y0 = b · x1 + a · (b · x0 ) = b · (x1 + a · x0 )
y2 = b · x2 + a · y1 = b · x2 + a · b · (x1 + a · x0 ) = b · (x2 + a · x1 + a2 · x0 ).
We can conclude from this (or formally show by induction) that
n
X
n−1 n
yn = b · (xn + a · xn−1 + ... + a · x1 + a · x0 ) = b an−k · xk
k=0

for n ≥ 0. Given a limited input signal with |xn | ≤ M for all n we thus find
n
X n
X
n−k
|yn | = b a · xk = |b| · an−k · xk
k=0 k=0

In the worst case, this expression could equal

n
X
|b| · M · |an−k |.
k=0

In this expression, b is only a multiplication factor and therefore irrelevant

for its convergence. The sum over the powers of a, however, is a geometric
series, which for n → ∞ only converges if |a| < 1. Thus, for a bounded,
but in any other sense arbitrary input signal (xn )n , |a| < 1 is required to
guarantee a bounded output signal and thus BIBO stability of the system.
c) Choosing (xn )n = (δn )n as input signal yields
n
!
X
an−k · δk = (b · σn · an )n .


(hn )n = S (δn )n = b
k=0 n

In the last transformation, σn had to be introduced because the sum is empty

for n < 0.
Alternatively, the output signal found in b) can be rewritten to standard
convolution form:
n
X (xn )n n
X ∞
X
n−k causal n−k
yn = b a · xk = b · xk · a = xk · b · σn−k · an−k .
k=0 k=−∞ k=−∞
P∞
This equals (yn )n = (xn )n ∗ (hn )n = k=−∞ xk · hn−k if (hn )n = (b · σn · an )n .

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WS 2023-24 Prof. Dr. B. Lange SS II

Exercise 4: Consider the discrete LTI-system S : (xn )n∈Z 7→ (yn )n∈Z with
impulse response
hn
2 b

1 b

0 b b b b b

n
−1
−3 −2 −1 0 1 2 3 4
Is the system S causal and BIBO stable? Determine the output signals
(yn )n∈Z of the system S which correspond to the following input signals
(xn )n∈Z :
xn xn
2 2

1 1 b

a) 0 b b b b b b) 0 b b b b

n n
−1 b
−1 b

−1 0 1 2 3 4 −1 0 1 2 3 4

xn xn
2 2 b

1 b b b
1 b

c) 0 b b b d) 0 b b b

n n
−1 −1
−1 0 1 2 3 4 −1 0 1 2 3 4

Solution:
The system is not causal because h−1 = 1 and therefore not all hn are zero
for n < 0. The system is BIBO stable because its impulse response is limited
both in length and magnitude. The system therefore scales and sums only a
finite set of input signal samples (with indices n − 1, n, n + 1) to form a finite
output sample yn .
The impulse response is

hn = δn+1 + 1.5δn + 2δn−1 .

The output signals are determined as the convolution of the input signal with
the impulse response:
a) xn = −δn−2 yields

(xn )n ∗ (hn )n = (−δ n−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 + 1.5δn + 2δn−1 )n

= (−δ n−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (−δ n−2 )n ∗ (1.5δ n )n + (−δ n−2 )n ∗ (2δ n−1 )n


= − (δn−1 )n + 1.5 · (δn−2 )n + 2 · (δn−3 )n .

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b) xn = δn − δn−2 yields

(xn )n ∗ (hn )n = (δn − δn−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 + 1.5δn + 2δn−1 )n

= (δ)n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (δ)n ∗ (1.5δn )n + (δ)n ∗ (2δn−1 )n
+ (−δ n−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (−δ n−2 )n ∗ (1.5δ n )n + (−δ n−2 )n ∗ (2δ n−1 )n
= (δn+1 )n + 1.5 · (δ)n + 2 · (δn−1 )n − (δn−1 )n − 1.5 · (δn−2 )n − 2 · (δn−3 )n
= (δn+1 )n + 1.5 · (δ)n + (δn−1 )n − 1.5 · (δn−2 )n − 2 · (δn−3 )n .

c) xn = δn + δn−1 + δn−2 yields

(xn )n ∗ (hn )n = (δn + δn−1 + δn−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 + 1.5δn + 2δn−1 )n

= (δ)n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (δ)n ∗ (1.5δn )n + (δ)n ∗ (2δn−1 )n
+ (δn−1 )n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (δn−1 )n ∗ (1.5δn )n + (δn−1 )n ∗ (2δn−1 )n
+ (δn−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (δn−2 )n ∗ (1.5δn )n + (δn−2 )n ∗ (2δn−1 )n
= (δn+1 )n + 1.5 · (δ)n + 2 · (δn−1 )n
+ (δn )n + 1.5 · (δn−1 )n + 2 · (δn−2 )n
+ (δn−1 )n + 1.5 · (δn−2 )n + 2 · (δn−3 )n
= (δn+1 )n + 2.5 · (δ)n + 4.5 · (δn−1 )n + 3.5 · (δn−2 )n + 2 · (δn−3 )n .

d) xn = 2δn + 1.5δn−1 + δn−2 yields

(xn )n ∗ (hn )n = (2δn + 1.5δn−1 + δn−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 + 1.5δn + 2δn−1 )n

= (2δ)n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (2δ)n ∗ (1.5δn )n + (2δ)n ∗ (2δ n−1 )n
+ (1.5δn−1 )n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (1.5δn−1 )n ∗ (1.5δn )n + (1.5δ n−1 )n ∗ (2δn−1 )n
+ (δn−2 )n ∗ (δn+1 )n + (δn−2 )n ∗ (1.5δn )n + (δn−2 )n ∗ (2δn−1 )n
= 2 · (δn+1 )n + 3 · (δ)n + 4 · (δn−1 )n
+ 1.5 · (δn )n + 2.25 · (δn−1 )n + 3 · (δn−2 )n
+ (δn−1 )n + 1.5 · (δn−2 )n + 2 · (δn−3 )n
= 2 · (δn+1 )n + 4.5 · (δ)n + 7.25 · (δn−1 )n + 4.5 · (δn−2 )n + 2 · (δn−3 )n .

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