What is the derivative of a unit step function with discontinuities at -2 and 2?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter ColdStart
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Derivative Unit
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
7 replies · 10K views
ColdStart
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
ok letsa say i have d/dt {(u(-2-t) + u(t-2)}

I know that d/dt { u(t) } is q(t)...

now is it correct to think that d/dt {(u(-2-t) + u(t-2)} = q(-2-t) + q(t-2) ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
HI ColdStart! :wink:
ColdStart said:
ok letsa say i have d/dt {(u(-2-t) + u(t-2)}

I know that d/dt { u(t) } is q(t)...

now is it correct to think that d/dt {(u(-2-t) + u(t-2)} = q(-2-t) + q(t-2) ?

Nope … try again, using the chain rule (with g = -2-t) …

what do you get? :smile:
 
ok so:
d/dt {(u(-2-t) + u(t-2)} = d/dt{ u(-(t+2)) + u(t-2)} = -q(t+2) + q(t-2) ?
 
well then it turns out that its what i wrote in my first post, but in one book it shows -q(t+2)... that's why i got confused and was asking it here..
 
ColdStart said:
well then it turns out that its what i wrote in my first post, but in one book it shows -q(t+2)... that's why i got confused and was asking it here..

No, in your first post you had …
ColdStart said:
q(-2-t) + q(t-2) ?

with no minus in front of the q.

(the book result would be the same if q is an odd function)
 
Is [tex]\frac{du}{dt}=\delta (t)[/tex] valid for all t?

But the function u(t) is not continuous at t=0. :confused: