Data & Signals
K.D.C.G Kapugama
Department of Computer Science
Faculty of Science
University of Ruhuna
References
• Data Communication and Networking by Behrouz A.
Forouzan
• Data and Computer Communication by William Stallings
Data Communication System
Transmission
Source Transmitter Receiver Destination
System
Data Communication System
❖Source
• Generates Data to be transmitted
• Usually a Computer (can be any other electronic device such as
telephone handset, video camera)
❖Transmitter
• Data is converted into Signals
• Use modem
❖Communication Medium
• Signal is sent to the receiver through a communication medium.
• Twisted pair of wire, coaxial cable, optical fiber or wireless
communication system.
Data Communication System
❖Receiver
• Receives the signals and converts it into data or message
❖Destination
• Data is absorbed
• Again there can be a computer system, a telephone, a television etc.
Data
• Information conveys some meaning based on some mutually-agreed
up rules or conventions between a sender and receiver.
• Two types of data
Data
Analog Digital
Types of Data
❖Analog Data
• Representation variable takes continuous values in some interval.
• E.g. voice, temperature
❖Digital Data
• Representation variable takes discrete values in given interval
• A finite or countable number of values.
• E.g. text, character string
Signals
• Electrical, electronic or optical representation of data, which can
be transmitted through a communication medium.
• E.g. a microphone converts voice data into voice signal, which can
be sent over a pair of wire.
❖Analog Signals
• An infinite number of values in a range.
• Signal intensity varies smoothly over time.
❖Digital Signals
• Can have only a limited number of defined values.
• Usually two values, 0 and 1.
Signals
• Analog Signals
• Digital Signals
Signals
❖Signaling
• An act of sending signals over communication medium
❖Transmission
• Communication of data by propagation and processing is known as
transmission.
Signal Characteristics
• A signal can have both time-domain and frequency domain
representations.
❖Time – Domain representation:
• Signal is represented as a function of time.
❖Frequency – Domain representation:
• Signal is represented as a function of frequency.
• Signal can be considered as a composition of different frequency
components.
Time Domain Concepts
❖Periodic Signal
• A signal that completes a certain pattern within a measurable time
frame. (This time is called a period (T))
• Periodic signals can be found in both analog and digital signals.
Periodic Analog Signal Periodic Digital Signal
Time Domain Concepts
• Three important characteristics of periodic signal:
1. Amplitude: Instantaneous value of a signal at any time. This is
measured in volts (V).
❖Peak Amplitude : Absolute value of signal’s highest intensity. (Unit - vlots)
2. Frequency: Number of periods in one second. (Inverse of period/
𝑇) Unit is Hertz (1Hz = 1/s).
1 1
f= and 𝑇 =
𝑇 𝑓
3. Phase: Absolute position of the waveform relative to an arbitrary
Origin. This is measured in degrees (°) or radians (rad)
Time Domain Concepts
• Sine Wave
Amplitude
Peak Amplitude
0 Time
T = 1/f
A sine wave can be represented by 3 i. Peak Amplitude (A)
parameters ii. Frequency (f)
iii. Phase (𝛗)
𝑺 𝒕 = 𝑨. 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝝅𝒇𝒕 + 𝛗
Time Domain Concepts
• Three sine waves with same amplitude and frequency, but different
phases.
𝑠 𝑡 = sin 𝑡 φ=0°
𝑠 𝑡 = sin 𝑡 + 90° φ=90°
𝑠 𝑡 = sin 𝑡 + 180° φ=180°
Time Domain Concepts
• Phase angle and the sine wave
Time Domain Concepts
• Aperiodic Signals
• An Aperiodic Signal is a signal that changes without exhibiting a
pattern or cycle that repeats over time.
• An Aperiodic Signal can be decomposed into infinite number of periodic
signals.
Time Domain Concepts
• Time domain representation displays a signal using the time-domain
plot which shows changes in signal with respect to the time.
• The time domain plot can be visualized with the help of an
oscilloscope.
Frequency Domain Concepts
• Frequency-domain plot can be used to show the relationship
between amplitude and frequency.
• The above relationship under frequency domain representation can be
displayed using spectrum analyzer.
• Frequency-domain plot is concerned with only the peak value of the
amplitude and the frequency.
Frequency Domain Concepts
• Example
Frequency Domain Concepts
• Frequency domain is more compact and useful when dealing with
more than one sine wave.
Frequency Domain Concepts
❖Composite Signals
• A Composite signal is made of many simple sine waves.
• Composite signals are used in data communication.
• According to Fourier Analysis, any composite signal can be represented
by a combination of sine waves. E.g.
1
S t = sin 𝜔𝑡 + sin 𝜔𝑡 where 𝜔 = 2𝜋𝑓
3
• The frequency domain function, 𝑠(𝑓), specifies the constituent
frequencies of the signal.
Frequency Domain Concepts
Frequency Domain Concepts
• Composite Signals
• Composite Signals can be periodic or aperiodic
• Frequency Spectrum : Range of frequencies that a signal contains.
• Bandwidth : Range of frequencies over which most of the signal energy
of the signal is contained. (Effective Bandwidth)
For a composite signal, it is the difference between the
highest and the lowest frequencies contained in that signal
(Absolute Bandwidth)
Frequency Domain Concepts
• Composite Signals
Original Composite Signal
Frequency Domain Concepts
• Composite Signals
Decomposition of Composite Signal
Frequency Domain Concepts
Bandwidth of a composite Signal
