Causality Question: Understanding Inputs Before t1

[Schniz2]

This is a question i asked my tutor via email... kind of in a hurry to get it answered so i can fully understand causality for an assignment due on monday.i'm having trouble understanding the causality of the attached tutorial question...
if there is an input 'x(t)', for any 't<0' is this input zero? in the tutorial you wrote:
"say t < t1, x(t) = 0
lambda < t1, x(lambda) = 0
"
i'm not sure what you are referring to as 't1'... is this just an arbitrary time after 't = 0'? or is 't1' the origin of the input signal and any input signal before 't1' is zero.

if it is an arbitrary time after t = 0, how are we allowed to say that for 't < t1, x(t) = 0'?Very grateful if anyone is able to help... cheers ;)****Hmm, maybe this should have not been in this area... couldn't decide whether it was a homework question or just a question about the concept of causality :S****

 

[Conundrum]

t1<x(t)
therefore
x(t)=0
t1 is the origin so this means it arbitrarily after 0

 

[piercas]

I can provide some clarification on the concept of causality and understanding inputs before t1.

In science, causality refers to the relationship between cause and effect. In other words, how one event or factor leads to another event or outcome. In the context of your question, we are looking at the input signal (x(t)) and its relationship to time (t).

In the tutorial, the notation 't < t1' means any time before t1. So, if we have an input signal 'x(t)' and we are looking at any time before t1, then the value of x(t) is equal to 0. This is because before t1, there is no input signal present. Similarly, for any time after t1 (t > t1), the value of x(t) will be non-zero.

Now, you also asked about the origin of the input signal and if any input before t1 is zero. This depends on the specific context of the problem. In some cases, the origin of the input signal may be at t1, meaning that any input before t1 is indeed zero. However, in other cases, the origin of the input signal may be at t = 0, and the input signal may only start at t1. In this case, any input before t1 would also be zero. It's important to understand the context of the problem in order to fully understand the inputs before t1.

In conclusion, the notation 't < t1' simply means any time before t1, and in this context, the value of the input signal is zero. I hope this helps you better understand causality and inputs before t1. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Best of luck with your assignment!