ME 312

Experimentation and Measurement

Spring 2020

Lecture 6: Static and Dynamic Characteristics of Signals

Instructor : Asst. Prof. Dr. Samet AKAR

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Çankaya University
Basic Terminology
o A measurement system takes an input quantity and transforms it
into an output quantity that can be observed or recorded.

Input (Input Signal) Output (Output Signal)

Measurement System

We face two important tasks:

(1) selecting a measurement system
(2) interpreting the output from a measurement system.

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Basic Terminology
o Signal: is a function representing a physical quantity or
variable, and typically it contains information about the
behavior or nature of the phenomenon. It is associated with the
transmission of information.

o Waveform: The shape and form of a signal are often referred

to as its waveform.

o The waveform contains information about the magnitude and

amplitude, which indicate the size of the input quantity, and the
frequency, which indicates the way the signal changes in time.

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Classification of Waveforms
Signals may be classified as analog, discrete time, or digital.
o Analog Signal describes a signal that is continuous in time.
o Discrete time signal, the information about the magnitude of the
signal is available only at discrete points in time.
o A digital signal has two important characteristics.
o It exists at discrete values in time, like a discrete time signal.
o Its magnitude is discrete, determined by a process known as
quantization at each discrete point in time.
analog-to-digital (A/D) converter

Sampling Quantization

Digital signal
Analog signal Discrete time signal

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Signal Waveforms

o Signals may be characterized as either static or dynamic.

o A static signal does not vary with time. The diameter of a shaft is
an example.

o A dynamic signal is defined as a time-dependent signal.

o deterministic signal (varies in time in a predictable manner)
o steady periodic
o simple periodic waveform (contains only one frequency)
o complex periodic waveform (contains multiple frequencies)
o aperiodic (do not repeat at regular intervals)
o nondeterministic signal

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Classification of waveforms

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Examples of dynamic signals

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Signal Analysis
o A measurement system produces a signal that may be analog,
discrete time, or digital.
o Consider an analog signal
The average or mean value of this signal is
found by:

The mean value provides a measure of the

static portion of a signal over the time. It is
Recorded time period from t1 to t2. sometimes called the DC component or DC
offset of the signal.

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Signal Root-Mean-Square Value
o The dynamic portion of a signal is characterized by the AC
component considering the average power dissipated in an
electrical resistor through which a fluctuating current flows. The
power dissipated in a resistor due to the flow of a current is:

o The total electrical energy dissipated in the resistor over the time

o The effective current can be obtained as:

This value of the current is called the root-mean-square (rms) value of the current.
Based on this reasoning, the rms value of any continuous analog variable y(t) over the
time, t2 t1, is expressed as

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Signal Analysis

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Direct Current Offset
When the AC component of the signal is of primary interest, the
DC component can be removed.
o The enhancement of fluctuations through the subtraction of the
average value can be seen in the Figure.

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Signal Amplitude and Frequency

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Signal Amplitude and Frequency

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Signal Amplitude and Frequency

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Signal Amplitude and Frequency

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Fourier Series

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Fourier Series

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Fourier Series

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Fourier Series

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Fourier Series

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Fourier Series

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Fourier Series

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Even and Odd Functions

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Fourier Analysis

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Example

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Example

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Example

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Example

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Frequency Content of a Signal
consider the output voltage
from a rectifier. A rectifier functions to ‘‘flip’’ the negative half of an AC into the
positive half plane.

FIND: The frequency content of this signal as determined from a Fourier series analysis.

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Frequency Content

o Solution

2𝜋𝑓 = 120𝜋 → 𝑓 = 60 𝐻𝑧

We have an even function

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Frequency Content

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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Fourier Transform and the Frequency Spectrum

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