Basic Signals in MATLAB for IoT and AI

Introduction

As IoT, data, and AI engineers, we often deal with raw signals coming from sensors, devices, or communication systems. These signals are the foundation of everything we analyze, process, and use to make smart decisions. If we do not understand the basic signals, it becomes difficult to design reliable systems for data collection, filtering, or control. That is why I started learning how to generate and visualize fundamental continuous-time signals in MATLAB.

Walkthrough

I wrote a simple MATLAB script to generate six basic signals: unit impulse, unit step, unit ramp, exponential, signum, and sinc. These signals are like the alphabet of signal processing. Once you know them, you can combine them to build more complex systems.

In the code, I used the t variable to represent time, ranging from -5 to 5. Then I defined each signal using mathematical conditions or MATLAB’s built-in functions. For example, the unit step was defined with double(t>=0)`and the exponential signal with exp(a*t). I usedplot()andstem()` to visualize them.

Here is the MATLAB output for each signal:

Reflection

From this exercise, I learned how to represent and visualize the most common signals that appear in IoT and communication systems. The impulse helped me understand how systems respond instantly, while the step and ramp showed me how systems behave with sudden or gradual inputs. The exponential signal reminded me of natural processes like charging a capacitor or signal decay. The signum and sinc signals taught me about symmetry and oscillations in communication theory.

I now see how these basic signals are directly connected to real-world IoT systems. For example, when a sensor suddenly starts sending data, that is similar to a step function. When data decays over time, it looks like an exponential. By practicing with MATLAB, I feel more confident in connecting theory with the real IoT problems we solve every day.