Uses of filters To remove unwanted components in a signal To “shape” the spectrum of a complex wave To determine spectra of complex waves
100 Hz 1000 Hz 6000 Hz 20000 Hz SIGNAL FILTER OUTPUT + =
Linear system Changes only amplitude of input components Does not add additional components No distortion
Nonlinear system Changes frequency along with amplitude Introduces additional components not present in the input signal (frequency domain) Harmonics Combination tones Introduces distortion (time domain)