2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 1

Impulse Functions


In this section: Forcing functions that model impulsive actions external
forces of very short duration (and usually of very large amplitude).


The idealized impulsive forcing function is the Dirac delta function
*
(or the
unit impulse function), denotes (t). It is defined by the two properties

(t) = 0, if t 0, and

=1 ) ( dt t
.

That is, it is a force of zero duration that is only non-zero at the exact
moment t = 0, and has strength (total impulse) of 1 unit.



Translation of (t)

The impulse can be located at arbitrary time, rather than just at t = 0. For an
impulse at t = c, we just have:

(t c) = 0, if t c, and

= 1 ) ( dt c t
.


*
It was introduced by, and is named after the British physicist Paul A. M. Dirac (1902 1984), co-winner
of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933. A pioneer of quantum mechanics, Dirac is perhaps best known
(besides for the delta function) for formulating the Dirac equation, which predicted the existence of
antimatter.
2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 2
Laplace transforms of Dirac delta functions

L {(t)} = 1,

L {(t c)} = e
cs
, c 0.




Here is an important and interesting property of the Dirac delta function: If
f (t) is any continuous function, then

= ) ( ) ( ) ( c f dt t f c t



Therefore, for c 0,

L {(t c)} =




= =
0
) ( ) (
cs st st
e dt e c t dt e c t
.


Note: Since the integrand in the above integrals is zero everywhere
except at the single point t = c 0, the contribution from the interval
(, 0) to the definite integral is, therefore, zero. Hence the two
definite integrals above will have the same value despite their
different lower limits of integration.


And,

L {(t c) f (t)} =

=
0
) ( ) ( ) (
cs st
e c f dt e t f c t
.


2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 3
Example: y + 6y + 5y = (t) + (t 2), y(0) = 1, y(0) = 0.



Transform both sides and simplify:

(s
2
L{y} s y(0) y(0)) + 6(sL{y} y(0)) + 5 L{y} =
L{(t) + (t 2)}

(s
2
L{y} s) + 6(sL{y} 1) + 5L{y} = 1 + e
2s


(s
2
+ 6 s + 5) L{y} s 6 = 1 + e
2s


(s
2
+ 6 s + 5) L{y} = 1 + e
2s
+ s + 6 = e
2s
+ s + 7

L{y} =
) 5 )( 1 (
7
) 5 )( 1 (
2
+ +
+
+
+ +

s s
s
s s
e
s
.


Further simplifying the two parts using partial fractions:

Part 1, without the e
2s
term, becomes


) 5 (
1
4
1
) 1 (
1
4
1
) 5 )( 1 (
1
+

+
=
+ + s s s s
,

It has an inverse transform
t t
e e
5
4
1
4
1

.

Now apply the effects of the e
2s
term, resulting in

( )
10 5 2
2
) (
4
1
+ +

t t
e e t u
.
2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 4
Part 2 becomes


) 5 (
1
2
1
) 1 (
1
2
3
) 5 )( 1 (
7
+

+
=
+ +
+
s s s s
s
.

Its inverse transform is
t t
e e
5
2
1
2
3

.


Therefore, the solution is

( )
10 5 2
2
5
) (
4
1
2
1
2
3
+ +
+ =
t t t t
e e t u e e y
.




Note that the first term in the forcing function, (t), has the same effect to
the solution of this initial value problem as it would if the second initial
condition was y(0) = 1. (Check this: remove the first term of the forcing
function and change the second initial condition to y(0) = 1 and see that this
new initial value problem will have the same solution as the above problem.)


2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 5
Example: y + 2y + 10y = (t 4), y(0) = 0, y(0) = 1.



Transform both sides and simplify:

(s
2
L{y} s y(0) y(0)) + 2(sL{y} y(0)) + 10 L{y} =
L{(t 4)}

(s
2
L{y} 1) + 2(sL{y} 0) + 10L{y} = e
4s


(s
2
+ 2 s + 10) L{y} 1 = e
4s


(s
2
+ 2 s + 10) L{y} = 1 e
4s


L{y} =
10 2
1
10 2
1
2
4
2
+ +

+ +

s s
e
s s
s
.


Notice that, other than the extra factor e
4s
, the second part
contains the same expression as the first part. This fact simplifies our
task somewhat. Complete the squares in the denominator and rewrite
the expression as:


2 2 2
3 ) 1 (
3
3
1
10 2
1
+ +
=
+ + s s s
.

Its inverse transform is
) 3 sin(
3
1
t e
t
, which corresponds exactly to
the first part of the expression.

2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 6
The second part, with the extra e
4s
term, gains its effects (plus a
negative sign) of a unit step function and a translation by c = 4. It
becomes
( ) ) 4 ( 3 sin ) (
3
1
) 4 (
4

t e t u
t
.


Therefore,

( )
) 3 sin( ) (
3
1
) 3 sin(
3
1
) 4 ( 3 sin ) (
3
1
) 3 sin(
3
1
4
4
) 4 (
4
t e t u t e
t e t u t e y
t t
t t

+

=
=




2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 7
Resonance induced by a discontinuous forcing function


Example: u + u = (t) + (t 2) + (t 4) + + (t 2000),

u(0) = 0, u(0) = 0.


Transform and simplify the equation:

(s
2
L{u} 0s 0) + L{u} = 1 + e
2s
+ e
4s
+ + e
2000s
,

(s
2
+ 1) L{u} = 1 + e
2s
+ e
4s
+ + e
2000s
,

L{u} =
|
|

\
|
+
+

=

1000
1
2
2
1
1
1
n
s n
e
s

.


The inverse transform of each term contains sin(t ). The terms inside
the summation, after applying the required step functions and
translations, become u
2n
(t ) sin(t 2n) = u
2n
(t ) sin(t).

Therefore,

<
<
<
= + =

=
t t
t t
t t
t t
t t u t u
n
n

2000 ), sin( 1001

: :
6 4 ), sin( 3
4 2 ), sin( 2
2 0 ), sin(
) sin( ) ( ) sin(
1000
1
2




Notice the increase in amplitude, not continuously but rather in
discrete steps, that occurs linearly with elapsed time. This is a
discrete version of the resonance behavior.

2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 8


The graph of the previous solution:







Transfer Function and Impulse Response


When a system or device can be described by a linear differential equation (a
mass-spring system, or an electrical circuit, for examples), its transfer
function, H(s), is the ratio of the Laplace transform of the systems output
(its response to an input, expressed by the equations solution), Y(s) divided
by the Laplace transform of the systems input (the equations forcing
function), G(s), given that all initial conditions are zero. It is a description
of how the system would react to a unit measure of external stimulus.

Take, as an example, a system described by a second order linear equation

a y + b y + c y = g(t).

Transform both sides, with all initial conditions zero, it becomes

a (s
2
L{y} 0s 0) + b (sL{y} 0) + c L{y} = L{g(t)}.
2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 9
Simplify to obtain

(as
2
+ bs + c) L{y} = L{g(t)} = G(s),

Y(s) = L{y} =
()

.


Therefore, the transfer function, H(s), is

c bs as s G
c bs as s G
s G
s Y
s H
+ +
=
+ +
= =
2
2
1
) (
) /( ) (
) (
) (
) (



Note the expression is really just the reciprocal of the characteristic
polynomial, in variable s, of the corresponding homogeneous linear equation.
Further, since L {(t)} = 1, if the forcing function g(t) is (t) then G(s) = 1.
The transfer function would just become H(s) = Y(s) / 1 = Y(s). Therefore,
even though H(s) is independent of g(t), it can nevertheless be considered
simply as just the output Y(s), with all-zero initial conditions, of the equation

a y + b y + c y = (t).

That is, the transfer function is a direct measurement of the systems reaction
to a single unit of impulse applied to the system. As a result, the inverse
Laplace transform of the transfer function, h(t) = L
1
{H(s)}, is called the
impulse response function. It describes how a single unit of input, when
applied, would affect the behavior of the systems output. For example, in a
mass-spring system, it describes the change in displacement caused by a unit
of applied impulse (when the mass is struck by a hammer, say).

In practice, because Y(s) = H(s) G(s), when a system has all initial conditions
zero, its output function can be directly calculated by convolution of the
impulse response and forcing functions (see Appendix A). Namely,

y(t) = L
1
{H(s) G(s)} = L
1
{L{h(t) * g(t)}} = ()( )

.
2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 10
This is true for every nonhomogeneous linear equation. When all initial
conditions are zero, the solution of the equation can be found by convolution
of its impulse response and forcing functions.




Lastly, let us explore a bit the relation between the unit step function, u
c
(t),
and the unit impulse function, (t c), for c 0. We have seen previously
that, if f (t) is discontinuous at t = 0, then the Laplace transform of its
derivative can be derived by the formula

L{f

(t)} = s L{f (t)}
) ( lim
0
t f
t

.

Therefore, for c = 0,

L{u
0

(t)} = s L{u
0
(t)}
) ( lim
0
0
t u
t

=
0
1

s
s
= 1 = L{(t)}.

As well, for c > 0,

L{u
c

(t)} = s L{u
c
(t)} u
c
(0) =
= =

cs
cs
e
s
e
s 0
L{(t c)}.


That is, for c 0, the unit impulse function (t c) is, in fact, the derivative
of the unit step function, u
c
(t).



2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 11
Exercises C-3.1:

1. Find the Laplace transform of each function
(a) f (t) = (t / 3) cos
2
(t) sin(2t)
(b) f (t) = (t 2) t
3
e
t
cos
3
(t)

2 3 Find the inverse Laplace transform of each function. (Hint: Since
each expression is an improper fraction, first you will need to simplify it
using polynomial division, and then proceed as usual.)
2.
49
7 2
) (
2
2
+
+
=
s
s s
s F
3.
3
2 3
) 1 (
6 3
) (
+
+ +
=
s
s s s
s F


4 9 Solve each initial value problem.
4. y + y = u
4
(t) t (t 10), y(0) = 2.

5. y 6y = (t 1) u
4
(t), y(0) = 2, y(0) = 5.

6. y + 5y + 6y = (t) + (t 5), y(0) = 4, y(0) = 0.

7. y + 16y = (t ) 2(t 10), y(0) = 1, y(0) = 0.

8. y 6y + 9y = 4 (t 7), y(0) = 2, y(0) = 0.

9. y + y + 4y + 4y = (t 6), y(0) = 0, y(0) = 1, y(0) = 1.

10 11 Find the impulse response function of each equation.
10. y + 2y + 10y = g(t)

11. y + 8y + 16y = g(t)

2008, 2012 Zachary S Tseng C-3 - 12
Answers C-3.1:

1. (a)
3 /
8
3
s
e

, (b) 8e
2s2

2. y = 2(t) + cos(7t) 15sin(7t)
3. y = (t) + 3te
t
2t
2
e
t

4. y = 2e
t
+ u
4
(t)( t 1 3e
t + 3
) u
10
(t) e
t + 10

5.
( ) ( )
24 6
4
6 6
1
6
23 6 ) (
36
1
1 ) (
6
1
6
5
6
7

+ + + + =
t t t
e t t u e t u e y

6. y = 7e
3t
11e
2t
+ u
5
(t)( e
2t + 10
e
3t + 15
)
7.
t t u t t u t y 4 sin ) (
2
1
4 sin ) (
4
1
4 cos
10
+ =

8.
21 3
7
3 3
) 7 )( (
3
14
9
14
9
4

+ =
t t t
e t t u e t e y

9.
( ) t t e t u t t e y
t t
2 sin 2 cos 2 2 ) (
10
1
2 sin
5
2
2 cos
5
1
5
1
6
6
+ + =
+

10.
t e t h
t
3 sin
3
1
) (

=

11. h(t) = t e
4t