ECE 3300 Online: Signals, Systems, and Transforms
Summer Session I, 2016
Prof. Carl Baum, Clemson University
Phone: See Blackboard. Email: baumc@clemson.edu.
Telephone-Based Office Hours: See Blackboard
Welcome to ECE 3300!
My desire is that everyone succeed in this course to as great an extent as possible; furthermore,
my desire is that you succeed not only in this course but in applying what you learn throughout
your careers. For this reason we will cover a lot of material, but many of the procedures of the
course have been designed to help you master the material. If you watch all the videos, do all
the homeworks, take all the old tests, learn how to do everything correctly after getting anything
wrong, and ask questions when needed, you should be able to do well in this course. I commit
to treating you fairly and with respect and doing all that I can to help you succeed.
Contacting Me:
For questions about administrative procedures or other questions not related to course content,
the best way to contact me is by email.
For technical questions (help with homework problems, understanding lectures, going over old
tests, etc.), contact me via telephone during office hours. These times are strictly enforced. Note
that telephone is a much more effective medium for conveying technical details than email. If you
are more than 3 time zones away from EDT, you can arrange for alternate times for telephone
calls by sending me an email so that we can schedule an appointment.
Contacting You:
Important messages for the class will be communicated via Blackboard announcements. You are
responsible for the content of these messages. Blackboard should be checked frequently so as to
have the most recent information.
You may also be contacted individually via email, either via your university email ID or as a
reply to an email initiated by you. It is your responsibility to check your email frequently or have
it forwarded to an account that you check frequently. It is also your responsibility to make sure
your email account stays below quota. Note that there are two email systems and corresponding
addresses: username@clemson.edu and username@g.clemson.edu. You can set one to forward to
the other or both to forward to another address. Make sure you can receive email from both
addresses!
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, you should have an understanding of signal and system models
and be able to use time-domain and transform techniques to facilitate the analysis of continuoustime and discrete-time signals and systems.
Course Prerequisites:
If you are a Clemson University student, your prerequisites are ECE 2620 and MTHSC 2080.
If you are a non-Clemson student, you should have completed your Calculus sequence through
differential equations and should have taken a Circuits course.
Course Materials:
Course notes, homework assignments, videos, and other materials are available for download
on Blackboard via bb.clemson.edu. With regards to the notes, many students prefer the pdf
files which are preformatted to print two slides per page; the original powerpoint files are also
available.
Be aware that materials made available to the class including notes contain my intellectual property (the instructor). The redistribution of course materials by students in this course is strictly
prohibited, particularly through formats that place this material for sale. Adding your own notes
to course material does not change these conditions and does not mean that you own the material.
Optional textbook: Signals and Systems 2e by Oppenheim and Willsky, Prentice Hall publishers,
ISBN 0-138-14757-4. This course does not require or even directly refer to this textbook, but it
does cover most of the material.
Software:
The use of MATLAB software is required in this course. See http://www.clemson.edu/ccit/
software_applications/software/web_downloads.html for information about downloading
this software. To use this software at Clemson via wi-fi you will also need eduroam, and to use
it off campus you will need vpn. These are also available at the same link. If you have any
issues with installing software and getting it to run properly, you should contact CCIT. Support
information (phone, email, and chat) is also available at this link. MATLAB is free to Clemson
students (including transient students taking summer classes only). The use of Gnu Octave, a
free “emulator” of MATLAB, is not permitted, because there are critical differences between
MATLAB and Octave.
Recommended Daily Learning Procedure:
On “regular” days:
(1) Use the daily planner (later in this syllabus) to look up the day’s requirements. Do not fall
behind!
(2) Watch the videos, annotating your notes as you watch. Do not multitask while doing this!
(3) Do the corresponding homework problems. This is an essential step to learning the material!
(4) Correct your work by looking at the detailed homework solutions. Don’t “cheat” and just
copy these, or you are likely to fail the tests. Contact me if there is something you still don’t
understand.
(5) Do the required MATLAB assignments.
On test study days:
(1) Create your notes sheets. See the “Exam Content and Procedures” section of this syllabus
for more information.
(2) Take as many sample exams as you have time to take, using a timer to limit your time on
each exam to 60 minutes.
(3) Check your answers and redo any problems you did not solve correctly. Contact me if, after
restudying the material, you still cannot get the correct answer on a problem.
(4) For still more practice, you can also solve the “Sample Exam Problems” on Blackboard.
Grading:
Final grades will be determined by averaging the homework, exams, and the final exam based
on the following scale:∗
Homework Assignments
MATLAB Assignments
Two Tests
Final Exam
7.5%
7.5%
45%
40%
A
B
C
D
2
90%
80%
70%
60%
–
–
–
–
100%
89%
79%
69%
Completion bonus: If you turn in every assignment on time, doing both the problem-solving part
and the MATLAB part, you will receive a 5% bonus. This is added to your final total percentage
for the course. For example, if you obtain an average of 85% for the entire course (including
homeworks, MATLAB assignments, tests, and final), the completion bonus will raise your total
score to 90%.
Escape-with-a-C rule: If you (1) turn in every assignment on time, doing both the problemsolving part and the MATLAB part, and (2) receive an average of at least 55 on the two tests,
then if your score on the final is at least as high as the overall C cutoff for the course, you will
receive at least a C.
∗
The 90/80/70/60 grade cutoffs may be modified to be lower at my discretion. Normally such
modifications are by no more than a few points; for example, the A cutoff might change from
90% to 88%. I reserve the right to modify the overall weighting scheme; for example, the relative weight of the final exam might be increased or decreased. Reasons for such a modification
include the situation that I deem that a particular exam did not accurately assess student ability.
Homework:
There are 13 homework assignments; each has a problem-solving part and a MATLAB part.
Both parts are due on the same day. Assignments and solutions to the problem-solving parts are
posted in Blackboard. To receive full credit on the problem-solving parts, all needed work must
be shown. Just copying final answers from the solutions will give you zero credit. Homework
must be written in your own handwriting and not be previously graded.
For the MATLAB parts, on all assignments you must follow the rules included in the first several
assignments. Failure to follow these rules will have a significant cost in points up to receiving
zero credit.
Homework (both the MATLAB and the problem-solving parts) must be scanned into a single
multi-page pdf and uploaded as an assignment in Blackboard. No other formats (such as jpg)
are accepted. The filename should include your last name and homework number, for example, smith1c.pdf if you are John Smith turning in Homework 1C. To upload a homework, click
on “Assignments”, click on the particular homework number, and upload your single pdf file.
Homework is due on the dates and times indicated in the course schedule in this syllabus. No
late homeworks are accepted.
Exam Content and Procedures:
Exams are multiple choice; the midterms each last 90 minutes and contain 18 problems, and the
final lasts 150 minutes and contains 30 problems. Exam 1 covers Chapters 2 and 3 (Homeworks
1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, and 2B), Exam 2 covers Chapters 4 and 5 (Homeworks 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B),
and the final exam is cumulative for the entire course. For the first exam you may bring 2
sheets of notes (4 sides of paper); for the second, 4 sheets (the two sheets from the first exam
plus two new sheets), and for the final, 6 sheets (the four sheets from previous exams plus two
new sheets). No equations are provided on any exam. Your exam sheets may contain theory,
examples from the notes, homework problems, etc., but must not contain problems or answers
from past exams. In addition to the notes sheets, you should bring a calculator (the calculator
must not have communications capability) and a scantron form (more details below).
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Exam Administration:
Exams must either be taken on site (at Clemson University) or remotely with a proctor. Detailed information regarding proctors is given in a later section of this syllabus. Proctors must
complete a proctor form (also in this syllabus) by the date indicated in the course schedule and
be approved by me. Without proctor approval, a student will be required to take exams on site.
The on-site location for all exams will be announced on Blackboard. Both on-site and off-site
students must download and bring with them a copy of the Clemson OMR sheet (scantron form)
along with a photo ID (Clemson ID or driver’s license) to the exams. Off-site students must
give the ID to their proctor who will scan this along with the test and scantron (in pdf format),
emailing all materials to me.
Midterm 1: Tuesday, May 24, 90 minutes duration
Start time: 11:30 a.m. EDT
End time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Email deadline for proctored exams: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Midterm 2: Tuesday, June 7, 90 minutes duration
Start time: 11:30 a.m. EDT
End time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Email deadline for proctored exams: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Final: Friday, June 17, 150 minutes duration
Start time: 11:30 a.m. EDT
End time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Email deadline for proctored exams: 3:00 p.m. EDT
Academic Integrity:
Anyone caught in an act of academic dishonesty (cheating) will be penalized in accordance with
Clemson University Academic Regulations.
Disputing Grades:
A student wishing to dispute a grade on homework or a test must do so by emailing the professor
within 72 hours of the time that the item receives a grade in Blackboard. Appeals made after
this deadline will not be considered.
Disability Access:
It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities. If you are such a student, you are encouraged to contact
Student Disability Services to discuss your individual needs for accommodation, obtain a letter
if appropriate, and then discuss these needs with me. In order to obtain accommodations, you
must notify me no later than the end of the second week of class.
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Statement of Instructor/Student Interaction:
Live telephone-based office hours are available every weekday (except for exam dates).
Summary Topical Outline:
Note: Continuous time and discrete time are taught “side by side” in each chapter.
1. Introduction
2. Signals in the Time Domain
Transformations and combinations, step and impulse, periodic signals,
complex-valued signals, energy and related quantities.
3. Systems in the Time Domain
Checking system properties, linear time-invariant (LTI) systems and convolutions,
periodic inputs, composite systems.
4. Signals in the Frequency Domain
Fourier and inverse Fourier transform, interpretation of magnitude and phase, Fourier
series, Fourier transform of periodic signals.
5. Systems in the Frequency Domain
Fourier analysis of LTI systems, interpretation of magnitude and phase response,
group delay, ideal and nonideal filtering, Bode approximations, periodic inputs.
6. Signals in the Laplace and Z Domain
Laplace/Z and inverse Laplace/Z transform, partial-fraction expansions, complex poles
and quadratic factors, relationship to the Fourier transform.
7. Systems in the Laplace and Z Domain
Laplace/Z analysis of LTI, differential/difference representations,
poles and zeroes, composite systems, sampling.
Summer Session I, 2016 Course Schedule:
Date
05/11
05/12
05/13
05/16
05/17
05/18
05/19
05/20
05/23
05/24
05/25
05/26
05/27
05/30
05/31
06/01
06/02
06/03
06/06
06/07
06/08
06/09
06/10
06/13
06/14
06/15
06/16
06/17
Day
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Assignments
1.1-2.2
2.3-2.4
2.5-2.7
2.8-2.10
3.1-3.2
3.3-3.4
3.5-3.6
3.7-3.8
Study day
Midterm 1
4.1-4.2
4.3
4.4-4.5
4.6-4.7
5.1
5.2-5.3
5.4-5.5
5.6
Study day
Midterm 2
6.1-6.2
6.3-6.5
7.1
7.2-7.3
7.4-7.6
Study day
Study day
Final Exam
Item Due
(none)
H1A
H1B
H1C
Proctor form
H2A
(none)
H2B
(none)
Midterm 1
(none)
H3A
(none)
H3B
(none)
H4A
(none)
H4B
(none)
Midterm 2
H5A
H5B
(none)
H6A
H6B
(none)
(none)
Final Exam
Exam Time
Time Due
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
11:00
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
EDT
EDT
EDT
EDT
EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EDT
2:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EDT
2:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:00 p.m. EDT
11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. EDT
5
3:00 p.m. EDT
Proctor Eligibility:
A proctor is an individual who is appointed to supervise and monitor students as they take
exams, thus ensuring a secure environment free of distractions and/or resources that might compromise the integrity of the exam. They also ensure that the exam is taken within the allotted
time duration.
Acceptable proctors are those who have an appropriate level of credentials to administer a collegelevel exam. A student’s choice of proctor must be submitted by the deadline in the syllabus.
Examples of preferred proctors include testing center staff, librarians, professors or teachers,
supervisors, and supervisory-level human resources representatives. Note that proctor approval
is a subjective process and that the instructor reserves the right to reject a proctor deemed unsuitable for any reason. (If your choice of proctor is rejected, you will be informed of the reason.)
1. If you live OR work within 60 miles of Clemson University, you may NOT use a proctor
and must take exams on site at Clemson.
2. A proctor must be unrelated to the student and cannot be a friend, roommate, or neighbor
of the student. In addition, the proctor cannot be a student of any kind, including a
graduate student or a postdoctoral associate, even if he or she also teaches classes.
3. Individual proctors can only supervise ONE student taking exams. Only testing centers
are permitted to proctor more than one student.
4. Proctors must be personally able to (1) print pdf files (2) scan papers into pdf – no other
file formats are permitted – and (3) have access to email for receiving and sending exams,
all of these at the times of the exams.
5. On the proctor form, proposed proctors must provide a work-based email; public email
(such as gmail or hotmail) is not acceptable and will result in rejection of the proposed
proctor.
6. On the proctor form, proposed proctors must provide a link to their employer’s web site
that lists their name, position, and contact information including their email address.
Failure to do so will result in a rejection of the proctor. In some cases alternate means of
verification will be permitted, but only upon approval BEFORE submitting the proctor
form.
7. The times and procedures for taking exams are NOT negotiable. If your proctor does not
return the exam by the required deadline or if the proctor does not uphold the requirements
of the proctor form in any other manner, you will receive a zero on that exam and be
forbidden from using that proctor on future exams.
8. Submission of a proctor form that is fraudulent in any manner (for example, if the person
applying to be a proctor is actually a student) will result in the proctor request being
denied and the student will be required to take all exams on-site at Clemson University.
6
Proctor Request Procedure:
1. Identify a suitable person to be a proctor, giving them pages 6 and 8 of this syllabus.
If they agree that they are willing and suitable, fill out items 1 and 2 on page 8 for them.
2. Have your person complete page 8, scan it into pdf and email it to me before the proctor
form deadline.
3. Within 48 hours I will send an email to you and the proctor stating whether your proctor request has been approved or rejected. Rejections either occur because the potential
proctor has not provided the required information on the form or because the proctor does
not meet one of the requirements. (Not having a work-based email account with one’s
employer and not having a web page or other non-falsifiable way to provide verification of
employment are the two most common situations in the latter case; choose someone else
to be a proctor if this is your situation.)
4. If your initial request has been rejected, you have until 48 hours after the original proctor
form deadline to submit a second proctor request (either with the first proposed proctor
or with another person). Because there is a limited amount of time before the date of the
first exam, a maximum of two attempts to gain approval is permitted. After this,
no additional proctor requests will be considered and you will be required to take exams at
Clemson. Similarly, you will have to take exams at Clemson if you do not meet the initial
deadline for submitting the proctor approval form. (In some cases, short extensions to the
deadline will be approved but only if the request is made prior to the deadline and only if
there is a compelling reason.)
Common questions regarding proctors:
What if my proctor isn’t there at the exam start time on exam day or otherwise
violates some of the instructions? You will receive a zero on that exam and be required
to take your remaining exams at a university testing center. You will need to get your testing
center approved in the manner required for your original proctor (two attempts maximum).
It is your responsibility to choose a reliable and responsible proctor. Clemson University is not responsible for consequences related to the actions of your proctor, so choose your proctor carefully.
Examples of practices that will result in the above consequences include the proctor turning
in the exam past the deadline, the student not showing their work on the exam itself, correct
answers on multiple problems without work shown on the exam, and evidence of collaboration.
What if there is an unexpected emergency? You must call or email me BEFORE the
exam begins or no accommodation will be made. The degree to which an accommodation can
be made will depend on the exact nature of the emergency.
What if, because of the 60-mile rule, I must take exams at Clemson but I will be
away on business on one of the test dates? You can arrange a proctor for that particular
exam subject to the requirements for deadlines and approval.
What if I cannot find a single proctor for all three exams? If necessary, you can have
different proctors on different exams. Each proctor must submit a proctor form and is subject
to the requirements for deadlines and approval.
What if I am having trouble finding a proctor? It is your responsibility to find a proctor.
Look up each university or college in your area and see if they have a testing center that can
work with you; in such cases, the main administrator of the testing center should fill out the
form. Another possibility is a university library; in this case, the proctor must be a reasonably
high-level employee and cannot be a student. (A student can never be a proctor.)
7
ECE 3300 Online: Signals, Systems, and Transforms
Summer Session I, 2016
PROCTOR APPROVAL/AGREEMENT FORM
Scan into pdf and email to Prof. Carl Baum at baumc@clemson.edu
Thank you for being willing to serve as a proctor in ECE 3300 for Clemson University. The student
should provide lines (1) and (2) for you. Read page 6 of the syllabus before completing this
form. Every line must be completed or the proctor request will be rejected. Questions?
Email baumc@clemson.edu BEFORE submitting this form; the student is only permitted TWO
attempts to gain proctor approval. Keep a copy for your records.
(1) Name of student
(2) Clemson email address of student
(3) Your name
(4) Name of your employer
(5) Address where you will proctor exams including city, state/province, zip
(6) Your work or cell phone number
(7) Your work-based email (no gmail etc.)
(8) Work web page address that lists
your name and email
(9) Work email address to which exams
should be sent (can be same as #7)
Circle at left only the tests you personally (or your testing center) will be proctoring.
TEST 1
TEST 2
FINAL
Tuesday, May 24. Start: 11:30 a.m. EDT. End: 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Deadline for emailing scanned exam materials: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, June 7. Start: 11:30 a.m. EDT. End: 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Deadline for emailing scanned exam materials: 2:00 p.m. EDT
Friday, June 17. Start: 11:30 a.m. EDT. End: 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Deadline for emailing scanned exam materials: 3:00 p.m. EDT
Please circle an answer in each case below. An answer of YES on every question is required.
YES
NO
YES
YES
NO
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
Exams will be emailed to the proctor in pdf one hour before each exam. I will print out
the exam before it starts.
I will abide by the above start and finish times for the exams.
At the conclusion of the exams I will scan (1) the student’s completed scantron form (2)
the student’s exam with work shown (3) the student’s picture ID (4) the student’s notes
sheets into pdf and email the pdf files by the deadlines above.
I will not provide any assistance during the exams or allow anyone else to provide assistance.
I will verify that the student has no more than 2 sheets of notes at the first exam, 4 sheets
at the second exam, and 6 at the final. Calculators without wireless communications
capability are permitted. Internet use, computers, phones, etc. are prohibited.
I will REMOVE all wireless communications and internet devices from the student for the
duration of the exam. This is absolutely critical.
I will periodically check on the student during the exam.
I certify that everything above is accurate, and that I am not a student∗ , not related to the
student, nor am I a friend, roommate, or neighbor of the student. (Sign and date):
∗
A proctor cannot be an undergraduate student, graduate student, or postdoctoral associate.
8