Electronic Circuits, Signals, and Systems

The study of electronic circuits, signals, and systems is based on a variety of models, each devised to facilitate the application of mathematical methods to engineering problems. The laws of physics provide basic models of charge motion, in terms of which we explain the observed terminal behavior of elementary components and devices, such as resistors, inductors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, and vacuum tubes. From physical models and observed terminal characteristics, we make circuit models that lead to simple circuits capable of performing basic Operations or functions. These operations, such as amplification, addition, multiplication, and time delay, serve as the elementary building blocks or models with which we can construct models of more general systems. By a system, we mean a model of a signal transmission or processing operation, usually an interconnection of elementary models performing basic operations. In this volume we present methods suitable for handling more general circuits, with more general signals applied. These methods form an introduction to system theory.