Customer Reviews

Signals and Systems, 2005 Interactive Solutions Edition

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4 star:		(1)
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Unfortunately, I have to rate this book one star. It is clear the authors are brilliant experts on signals and systems. Communicating their knowledge to the rest of us is not their strong suit. Some issues I have had with this book:

First, the sample problems done in the book are barely explained. I have one BS and have worked in engineering for over ten years. I understand how to work through problems. However, the sample problems in this book are almost incomprehensible.

The second problem is a product of the first - the amount of errors in this book. If the authors had actually worked through every problem, within the book, they would have caught the errors. I was able to acquire a copy of the solutions manual and working with my professor have caught several errors already in the first chapter. Errors are not only frustrating, they undermine confidence in the book - how can I be sure that spending an hour working one problem to the "right" answer is worth it when the answer provided has relatively good chance of being wrong?

The third problem is new theories are introduced in solutions. For example, the books does a poor job of explaining the categories of systems - linear, time invariant, etc. When end-of-chapter problems on system classification are attempted, the solutions manual provides answers that incorporate theories never raised in the text. Problem 1.76 is typical. Only 1 "H" is shown, but the answer defines H1 and H2 and H3. The effects H3 explain "[t]he constant level appearing at the back end of the output, from t = 2 to t = 3, may be explained by the presence of a strong device connected in parallel with the integrator. On this basis, H3 is time-invariant." There is no discussion in the chapter of "strong devices connected in parallel" on how the those devices affect the appearance of signal output.

I want to note that I am currently halfway through chapter 2. Maybe it gets better. I will update this post if it does. If it doesn't, I am in for a very long semester!

I have been told by the publisher a new version is coming out in 2012. Too late for me.

I was very excited about taking the class Introduction To Signal Processing and even started reading the first chapter in this book before the class began. Unfortunately my goal of actually reading this book throughout the semester died exponentially fast as I realized the text was completely useless for the average student who didn't have 10 extra hours a week to carefully interpret what the author was trying to explain. I'm an ECE student, our program works us very hard, and no one has anything good to say about this book other than it attempts to cover the necessary material. Textbooks on introductory material should explain material in a way that makes it EASIER for students to understand, not more confusing. I refuse to believe that this is the best book for teaching Signal Processing and I am pleading with professors - do not make your students use this book!!!!!! Students - you would be better of using Google, read the reviews for the other version of this book by the same author.

I had already done a course in signals and systems a long time ago. I hadn't touched the subject in a long time and had the need to do so. This is the text for the undergrad course in the university where I'm doing my masters. I found this useful and would recommend it.