Interactive Simulations in Signals and Systems

Several interactive simulations that promote a better understanding of concepts traditionally encountered in an undergraduate Signals and Systems course are described. The simulations were developed to support the text “Signals & Systems: Theory and Applications” by Ulaby and Yagle. The text and all simulation programs are available for free download (ss2.eecs.umich.edu) as part of the Free Electrical Engineering Textbook Initiative from the University of Michigan. All simulations use graphical control elements that allow the student to interact with the simulation. Many of the simulations use either real audio or image data so that the student can vary parameters of the processing operation and immediately hear or see the effect. The simulations are written in MATLAB, but they also run in Octave. Since Octave is free software and runs on all major operating systems, the student need not purchase any software to run the simulations. Since no specialized computer systems or software is required the simulations are well-suited for use in an online course. The software is intended to be modular and well-documented. The wide-variety of simulations available means that the collection forms a nice framework for development of additional simulations