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Chapter 1 - What is a signal?

Quiz

Question 1

Which of the following best describes a signal?

  • Any physical phenomenon that can be seen or heard
  • A quantity that varies as a function of some independent variable
  • Any type of data that can be stored in a computer
  • A periodic waveform described by sines and cosines

Question 2

A digital audio file (e.g., a .mp3, .wav) is best modelled as:

  • A continuous-time signal, because sound is continuous
  • A continuous-time signal with quantized amplitude
  • A discrete-time signal with quantized amplitude
  • A stochastic signal, because all recordings contain noise

Question 3

For the descriptions listed below, pick the one that is most clearly a discrete-time signal in practice:

  • Current output from a solar panel
  • The filtered output of a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter)
  • The speed of a car as a function of time
  • The output of an ADC (Analog to Digital Converter)

Question 4

Which of the following is the best example of a quantized signal?

  • Instantaneous voltage across a resistor
  • A continuous-time temperature waveform
  • 16-bit PCM audio samples stored on a CD
  • A mathematical sine wave evaluated for all real $t$

Question 5

Which of the following statements is the most accurate.

  • A deterministic signal must be periodic
  • A deterministic signal can be predicted exactly from a known mathematical formula
  • A stochastic signal has no structure
  • A stochastic signal must be sampled to be meaningful