Is Signals and Systems hard?

Yes, Signals and Systems is hard by many standards, it is actually one of the most challenging classes in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. However, if you are good at math, especially calculus, you will find it easy to work with signals and systems.

Back in University, I took a Signals and Systems class in my second year of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The class is very interesting but it is challenging. I honestly could not tell sometime whether I am learning Engineering math or Signals and Systems.

Signals and Systems is math-heavy, it is actually the most math-intensive class I have ever taken. There is a lot of calculus and trigonometry. Signals and Systems are widely applied in communication, voice processing, image processing, consumer electronics, and seismic data processing.

Topics in Signals and Systems range from analyzing, modeling, and simulating electrical systems in the time, frequency, and S or Z domains to advanced trigonometry, complex arithmetic, geometry.

You will cover Fourier Transforms, Fourier Series, Laplace Transforms, Z-Transforms, Sampling Theory, continuous and discrete-time signals and systems, etc. All these are pages upon pages of mathematical concepts and applications.

Many people find signals and systems hard because it is not easy to visualize or make a correlation between signals and systems and the calculus and the equations that govern different systems. When you add the different domains and transforms, the confusion becomes even more vivid.

However, you can still easily pass and work with signals and systems if you put in place a systematic approach to overcome some of the commonly faced challenges. Here is a simple but effective approach to help you pass signals and systems.

HOW TO PASS SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS?

• STUDY AND VISUALIZE

Every class is cleared by studying hard and understanding the subject matter. In order to gain a good understanding of signals and systems, you need to visualize the various signals and systems as you study them.

Make sure you understand how to represent an equation in diagram or graph form. Being able to understand what equations mean and their graph or diagram equivalent will eliminate some of the problems that most people working with signals and systems face.

Make sure you understand the implication of reducing or increasing one value or the other to the system ultimately. If you are able to visualize what is happening as you study, you will have a good understanding of signals and systems.

• SOLVE MANY QUESTIONS

It is very important to solve as many questions as you can. The more you solve questions, the more you will find out where you are having challenges and what you did not understand.

Actually, you will realize that you will learn more by solving many problems than by spending a lot of time studying.

• LABORATORY WORK

Another key area to work on is laboratory experiments. Signals and systems-based labs are interesting to work on, you will be able to see the behavior of signals as you work on them. Labs are ultimately a great opportunity to cement your understanding of signals and systems.

Although lab works and reports are a nightmare for many Electrical and Electronic Engineering students, spending a lot of time on lab experiments and reports will enhance your understanding of signals and systems. You will be able to reconcile your theoretical understanding with physical practice.

CONCLUSION

Signals and systems is hard and challenging by many standards. It is one of the most math-intensive classes in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. There is a lot of calculus and trigonometry to contend with. But if math is your strength, you will not find it as hard as many others.

You will have no difficulties passing this class if you study hard, practice a lot of questions, and work on a lot of laboratory experiments.