Revision as of 14:51, 10 September 2008 by Kschrems (Talk)

Part C: Linearity

A linear system is a system such that for any constants $ a $ and $ b $ on the complex plane, inputs $ x(t) $ and $ y(t) $ produce the same $ z(t) $ no matter which of the following two paths they take through the system:


Path One: Partc1 ECE301Fall2008mboutin.JPG


Path Two: Partc2 ECE301Fall2008mboutin.JPG


Example of a Linear System

For this example, we take $ x $1$ (t) = x $ and $ x $2$ (t) = 0 $. We will also take $ a = 1 $ and $ b = 5 $. Taking the "first path" produces a result of $ z $1$ (t) = 1*x^2 +5*0 $, while taking the "second path" produces a result of $ z $$ (t) = (1*x + 0*5)^2 = x^2 $. Because $ z $1$ (t) $ = $ z $2$ (t) $, the system is linear.

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