Chapter 2

LAPLACE TRANSFROMS
MSc. Hunh Vn Kha

CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Laplace transform

Solution of differential equations
Engineering application
Step and impulse functions
Transfer functions

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1. THE LAPLACE
TRANSFORM
We

define the Laplace transform of

function by
where is a complex variable and is
called the kernel of the transformation.

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 The

symbol denotes the Laplace

transform operator. It transforms the
function into the function .
The upper limit in the integral is infinite.
Thus the integral is an improper
integral, that is
contains information on the behaviour of
only for . We define a function to be
causal if for all .
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Example

1.1. Determine the Laplace

transform of the function , where is a
constant.
Example 1.2. Determine the Laplace
transform of the ramp function .
Example 1.3. Determine the Laplace
transform of the exponential function ( is a
constant).
Example 1.4. Determine the Laplace
transforms of the sine and cosine functions
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where is a constant.
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Definition
A function is said to be of exponential order
as if there exists a real number and
positive constants and such that

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 The

greatest lower bound of the set of

possible values of is called the abscissa of
convergence of .
Theorem. Existence of Laplace
transform
If the causal function is piecewisecontinuous on and is of exponential order,
with abscissa of convergence , then its
Laplace transform exists, with region of
convergence in the domain; that is
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The linearity property

If
and are functions having Laplace
transforms and if and are any constants
then
The Laplace transform operator is a linear
operator.
Example 1.5. Determine .
Example 1.6. Determine .

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The first shift property

Theorem. The first shift theorem
If is a function having Laplace transform ,
with , then the function also has a Laplace
transform, given by

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Example

1.7. Determine .
Example 1.8. Determine

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Derivative-of-transform
property
Theorem. Derivative of transform
If is a function having Laplace transform
then the functions also have Laplace
transforms, given by

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Example

1.9. Determine .
Example 1.10. Determine .
Example 1.11. Determine , where is a
positive integer.

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Table of Laplace
transforms
Region
Region of
of
convergence
convergence
( a constant)

( a constant)
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Region of
converge
nce
( a real
constant)
( a real
constant)
( real constants)
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and
Linearity:
First shift theorem:
Derivative of transform:

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Slide #13,
14, 15

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The inverse transform

The

symbol denotes a causal function

whose Laplace transform is ; that is
This correspondence between the
functions and is called the inverse
Laplace transformation.
is the inverse transform of .
is the inverse Laplace transform operator.

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Example

1.12. Find
Example 1.13. Find
Example 1.14. Find
Example 1.15. Find

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using the first shift

theorem

Example 1.16. Find
Example 1.17. Find
Example 1.18. Find

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Example

1.19. Find

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2. SOLUTION OF
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Transforms of derivatives
In taking the Laplace transform of a
derivative we have assumed that is
continuous at , so that .
In Section 4, when considering the impulse
function, , we have to revert to a more
generalized calculus to resolve the
problem.

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 Transforms of integrals
Example 2.1. Obtain

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 Consider

the general second-order linear

differential equation with constant
coefficients
subject to the initial conditions
Taking Laplace transforms of each term
gives

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Example

2.2. Solve the differential

equation
subject to the initial conditions and at .
Example 2.3. Solve the differential
equation
subject to the initial conditions and at .

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Example

2.4. Solve the differential

equation
subject to the initial conditions and at .

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Simultaneous differential
equations
Example

2.5. Solve for the simultaneous

first-order differential equations
subject to the initial conditions and at .

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3. ENGINEERING
APPLICATION
Electrical

circuits
Electrical circuits are constructed of three
basic elements: resistors , capacitors and
inductors .
The current is related to charge by

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 The

relationship between the flow of

current and the voltage drops across
these elements

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Kirchhoffs laws
Law 1. The algebraic sum of all currents
entering any junction (or node) of a circuit
is zero.
Law 2. the algebraic sum of voltage drops
any closed loop (or path) in a circuit is
zero.

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Mechanical vibrations

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4. STEP AND IMPULSE

FUNCTIONS
The Heaviside step function is defined by
The Heaviside function is also frequently
referred to simply as the unit step
function.

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 The

unit step function may be used to

write a concise formulation of piecewisecontinuous functions.

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 The top hat function is

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 We have
Hence

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Example

4.1. Express in term of unit step

functions the piecewise-continuous causal
function

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Example

4.2. Express in terms of unit step

functions the piecewise-continuous functions
causal function

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Laplace transform of unit

step function

Example 4.3. Determine the Laplace
transform of rectangular pulse

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Example

4.4. Determine the Laplace

transform of the piecewise-constant function

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The second shift theorem

If then for a positive constant
This theorem is sometimes referred to as
the Heaviside or delay theorem.

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Example

4.5. Determine the Laplace

transform of the causal function defined by

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 Example 4.6.

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Inversion using the

second shift theorem

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5. TRANSFER FUNCTIONS
The

transfer function of linear timeinvariant system is defined to be the ratio

under the assumption that all the initial
conditions are zero.
Consider a linear time-invariant system
characterized by the differential equation

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 Taking Laplace transforms will lead to

The system transfer function is defined to
be
In order to make the system physically
realizable, the degrees and must be such
that .

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