Product Description

This text presents a comprehensive treatment of signal processing and linear systems suitable for juniors and seniors in electrical engineering. It is based on Lathi's widely used book, Linear Systems and Signals, with additional applications to communications, controls, and filtering as well as new chapters on analog and digital filters and digital signal processing. This volume's organization is different from the earlier book. Here, the Laplace transform follows Fourier, rather than the reverse; continuous-time and discrete-time systems are treated sequentially, rather than interwoven. Additionally, the text contains enough material in discrete-time systems to be used not only for a traditional course in signals and systems but also for an introductory course in digital signal processing. In Signal Processing and Linear Systems, as in all his books, Lathi emphasizes the physical appreciation of concepts rather than the mere mathematical manipulation of symbols. Avoiding the tendency to treat engineering as a branch of applied mathematics, he uses mathematics not so much to prove an axiomatic theory as to enhance physical and intuitive understanding of concepts. Wherever possible, theoretical results are supported by carefully chosen examples and analogies, allowing students to intuitively discover meaning for themselves. An accompanying solutions manual is available on CD-ROM.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #293097 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 864 pages

Review

I like the "folksy" historical style of the book. Lathi gives good motivation of introducing the topics. (The strong points of the book are) clarity of presentation, very interesting reading, good problems, good visual layout and text formatting. (Historical notes) are great! Few authors do this in an effective way. -- Prof. Mark Herro, Notre Dame University

I really liked the style of presentation. Worked out examples, explanation of concepts, style of presentation and readability are the strong points of the book. (We) find the book to be more desirable for our course (than the other books).

(Historical notes) are amusing as well as informative. (The Background chapter) is excellent. It helps the students to review the material rather quickly. I hope every textbook does this. Chapters on analog and digital filters are excellent. -- Prof. R. L. Tummala, Michigan State University

One thing I found very appealing about this text is its great balance of mathematical and intuitive explanation. A prime example of this is the excellent derivation and description of the sampling theorem.... The book (is) well paced, progressing well from a subject to the next.... I found all the examples quite good. I especially liked the combination and integration of graphical and mathematical convolution.... I found nothing that I would consider a weak point with this text. Introductory background material is very appealing.... The students will find (historical notes), both entertaining and "inspirational". -- Prof. Dwight Day, Kansas State University

This book compares well with other books, especially in its "user friendliness".... I did not note any weak points (in this book)....The Background chapter is very useful...The tone and presentation of material is useful for undergraduates. The author anticipates common questions. The historical notes give perspective and add to the gestalt of the text. -- Prof. T. Stacey, University of Missouri, Columbia

This is a good textbook because of clarity, suitability and writing style, (which is) smooth and pleasant. It covers topics in a casual and consistent manner. The difficulty level of examples, exercises, problems, and illustrations is suitable for a course in early junior years.... This book has no major and obvious weaknesses.... Lathi is among the most popular (authors) among (our) faculty members. (He is) well appreciated for his style and match with our curriculum requirements. The background material is useful.... For students it is a very valuable set of reference material throughout the course. The historical overview is one of the most attractive features of the book. -- Prof. Hua Lee, University of California, Santa Barbara

This is a very well written book (as are all books by Lathi). Various concepts are carefully developed and explained. The author tries to be rigorous without being formal, yet maintains an easy intuitive style that is particularly useful for juniors. (There are) lots of intuitive explanations with physical insights.... a must for an average junior. Examples, exercises, problems, and illustrations are done very well and are quite useful for self-study. (Historical notes) are a nice touch. Makes the material interesting and human. (Background chapter) is a nice feature. -- Prof. J. K. Tugnait, Auburn University

From the Publisher
Also by the same author:

Linear Systems and Signals, ISBN: 0-941413-34-9, Berkeley-Cambridge Press (916/ 485-5019; fax: 916/485-3019; e-mail: bercamb@yahoo.com)

and

Modern Digital and Analog Communication Systems (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press

About the Author

B.P. Lathi is currently a Professor of Electrical Engineering at California State University at Sacramento. He holds a B.S. degree from the University of Poona, India, an M.S.E.E. from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D.E.E. from Stanford University.

Customer Reviews

Great Undergraduate Signals and Systems Textbook
This is truly a superior book for teaching Signals and Systems. It far outpaces the competition in my mind, especially in terms of conceptual descriptions, examples, and readability. It was the only text (I have looked at the most popular 6) that I found that is written in a coherent and readable manner, such that it could serve as a standalone self-paced tutorial.

I am teaching this course for the first time this fall and found almost every one of my student's (and mine) conceptual and mathematical questions answered clearly by this text. I naively adopted Oppenheim since it is a classic, but that text truly pales in comparison.
Examples of things I appreciate in Lathi:
1) It serves as an excellent reference book, with a background mathematics section, tables of transforms and properties.
2) It generally starts each subject at the right point (e.g., with the trigonometic Fourier Series) to give student better conceptual understanding. I doesn't skip the basics.
3) It answers many common conceptual questions like "What is the meaning of negative frequencies in the FT?", "What do complex numbers mean physically?"
4) I love the history and wit (Is it a sin to make a textbook readable and even enjoyable?)
5) A lot of references to real engineering applications. For example, a REAL chapter on DIGITAL FILTER DESIGN.

I could go on, but it is obvious that the author put a great deal of care into this text and even the solutions CD. This, for upper-level undergraduate texts, in my opinion, is truly rare (see however, "Griffiths" and "Zahn" for E&M)

NOTE: By the way, for a previous reviewer, Ms. Chaston, in my text, the appendices are located on pages 161, 222, 356, 457, and 609.

Finally, I must admit that my own stupid prejudice cost me from adopting this textbook this year. I thought to myself, can a book written by a man with the name "Bhagawandas Pannalal" truly write this eloquently in English? As I get more in depth into the book, the answer is clearly YES and more.

Enthusiastic 5 star rating!
This book is perfect for self-study. The explanations are the clearest I have seen. The worked examples are completely explained. Solutions to selected problems are given in the back of the book.

I bought 4 texts for the purpose of educating myself in "Signals and Systems".

1. Signal Processing & Linear Systems(Lathi) 2. An Introduction to Circuit Analysis(Scott) 3. Signals & Systems(Cont. & Discrete - Ziemer) 4. Signals & Systems(Oppenheim & Willsky)

While each of these texts has it's strengths, none of them explains things as clearly as Lathi. He is truly a gifted author.

Easiest Text Book to Understand: Ever
I dread buying text books for school, usually I will buy them, pay 100 dollars, reference them 1 time for an obscure project for that semester, and be done with them.

This book was completely the opposite of it. My teacher understood the significance and clarity of this book and relied on it heavily, the more I read it, the more I understood the topic. Lathi is writing about a very dry and tough to understand topic when he chose to write about continuous and discrete time systems. But this book is anything but boring and dry.

He spruces up the language so that it is interesting, and readable; and his explanations about even the most complicated topics are very understandable thanks to many illustrations and examples done in the book.

If you have a choice in your class to buy this book or borrow it, buy it and you will not regret it, this book will be helpful in learning, and prove to be a valuable resource after you finish with the class.