Revision as of 07:35, 15 September 2008 by Nkgentry (Talk)

Memoryless Systems

Definition: A memoryless system is one that produces an output Y(t) that is purely dependent on the input at that specific time t.


Memoryless System: y(t) = 2x(t) + 7t

System with Memory: y(t) = 2x(t) +7(t-5)


The first example is memoryless since it only depends on the time 't'. The second example has memory since it depends on both the time 't' and the time 't-5'.

Causal System

A causal system (non-anticipative system) is one that produces an output that is dependent on either present or past values of 't'. Therefore, a causal system does not produce an output x(t) based on any future value of 't'. Furthermore, we can conclude that all memoryless systems are causal because they only depend on a present value of 't'.

Causal System: y(t) = x(t-9) + 6

Non-Causal System: y(t) = x(t+9) +6

The first system is causal since it is dependent on a past value of 't'. However, the second system is non-causal because it depends on a future value of 't'.

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