Signals in discrete form (scaling, shifting etc.)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around manipulating discrete signals, specifically focusing on shifting, scaling, and translating a given sequence. Participants explore the implications of these operations in the context of digital signal processing, addressing a homework problem that involves transforming a signal defined by its discrete values.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that shifting the sequence x[n] by n-1 results in x[n-1] = [0 5 1 7 9 4 3], interpreting the shift as moving the sequence to the right by one position.
  • Another participant agrees with the scaling operation, indicating that 2x[n-1] results in [0 10 2 14 18 8 6], viewing it as a straightforward magnitude scaling.
  • There is uncertainty regarding the operation -2x[n-1]+3, with one participant questioning how to incorporate the +3 into the transformation, indicating a lack of clarity on adding a scalar to a vector.
  • One participant mentions the concept of "zero padding" in relation to the shifting operation, suggesting that the question may not have a definitive answer due to its poorly defined nature.
  • Another participant notes that the addition of a vector to a scalar is ambiguous and proposes an element-wise approach as a potential solution.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the interpretation of the operations, particularly regarding the addition of a scalar to a vector and the implications of shifting the sequence. There is no consensus on how to handle the +3 operation or the overall clarity of the homework question.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight that the question may depend on prior material covered in class, suggesting that the ambiguity could stem from assumptions made by the instructor. The lack of context regarding periodicity and the source of the problem adds to the uncertainty.

jisbon
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Homework Statement
Given that x[n] = [5 1 7 9 4 3], where 5 is x[0].
Find x[n-1] , 2x[n-1] and -2x[n-1]+3
Relevant Equations
-
Attempting this question without any guidance from my professors unfortunately as they did not teach this bit. Searched online and also there aren't many questions like this.
From what I know,
(I) Having n-1 means you should shift right by 1, which means x[0] is now equals to 0? So x[n-1] = [0 5 1 7 9 4 3]?

ii) 2x[n-1] is simply a magnitude scaling of part one, so is it simply just 2x[n-1] = [0 10 2 14 18 8 6]?

(iii) -2x[n-1]+3. Is this simply again a magnitude scaling by -2 of part 1? Not sure how to do the +3 function though. Any help will be appreciated here :)
 
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Do you know if x[n] is periodic?

Also which class is this for and what are some topics you just recently covered in class, or maybe which book are you following? If the problem came from the textbook, then what's the name of the chapter it's coming from? I'm trying to get more context.
 
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Joshy said:
Do you know if x[n] is periodic?

Also which class is this for and what are some topics you just recently covered in class, or maybe which book are you following? If the problem came from the textbook, then what's the name of the chapter it's coming from? I'm trying to get more context.
I'm not sure, it wasn't stated. Digitial signal processing, and the question came from a worksheet, not a textbook.
 
jisbon said:
(I) Having n-1 means you should shift right by 1, which means x[0] is now equals to 0? So x[n-1] = [0 5 1 7 9 4 3]?
Well, that's as good an answer as any. But they didn't really tell you how to deal with x[0], did they? Some poorly defined questions have no answer. OTOH, I like your guess (which we call "zero padding" in the engineering world). You might also drop the 3 at the end, since in your answer you've increased the dimension of the vector, which is sometimes ok, and sometimes not. IDK.

jisbon said:
Homework Statement:: Given that x[n] = [5 1 7 9 4 3], where 5 is x[0].
Find x[n-1] , 2x[n-1] and -2x[n-1]+3
Relevant Equations:: -

Not sure how to do the +3 function though.
Well they're asking you to add a vector to a scalar, in my interpretation. Again, undefined. But I like your approach of doing it element by element, nothing else makes much sense to me.

Sometimes the questions asked depend on the material previously presented; i.e. they are assuming that you will do things the way they showed you previously. Other times the instructors are lazy or idiots and they ask poorly worded questions. Writing good HW/test questions is often harder than it appears.
 

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