Howtosignalprocessing
- What is the Dirac delta function used for?
- Is Dirac delta a probability distribution?
- Is Dirac delta function causal?
What is the Dirac delta function used for?
The Dirac delta is used to model a tall narrow spike function (an impulse), and other similar abstractions such as a point charge, point mass or electron point. For example, to calculate the dynamics of a billiard ball being struck, one can approximate the force of the impact by a Dirac delta.
Is Dirac delta a probability distribution?
Technically speaking, the Dirac delta function is not actually a function. It is what we may call a generalized function. Nevertheless, its definition is intuitive and it simplifies dealing with probability distributions.
Is Dirac delta function causal?
The input in this case is the Dirac delta function that is applied at the time instant t = 0. This function does not exist before the instant t = 0. Therefore for the case with the Dirac delta for the input, a LTI system is causal if and only if : h(t) = L(δ(t)) = 0,t < 0.
