The rectangular function (also known as the rectangle function, rect function, Pi function,

gate function, unit pulse, or the normalized boxcar function) is defined as:
[1]


Alternate definitions of the function define to be 0, 1, or undefined.
Fourier transform of the rectangular function
The unitary Fourier transforms of the rectangular function are:
[1]


and:

where sinc is the normalized form.
Note that as long as the definition of the pulse function is only motivated by the time-
domain experience of it, there is no reason to believe that the oscillatory interpretation
(i.e. the Fourier transform function) should be intuitive, or directly understood by
humans. However, some aspects of the theoretical result may be understood intuitively,
such as the infinite bandwidth requirement incurred by the indefinitely-sharp edges in the
time-domain definition.

Unit Gate Function


Find the FT, the magnitude, and the phase spectrum of x(t) = rect(t/t).


) 2 / sinc( ) / ( ) (
2 /
2 /
et t t e
t
t
e
}

= = dt e t rect X
t j

<
=
>
= |
.
|

\
|
2 / | | 1
2 / | | 5 . 0
2 / | | 0
t
t
t
t
x
x
x
x
rect
Find the FT of the unit impulse o(t).

Signum
(3)

The term sgn in Eq 3 above , called signum is simpler than it seems. Here is the way we
could have written it which would have been more understandable.

(4)

In Figure 5 we show the signum function and its decomposition into two familiar
functions.



Figure 5 - Signum Function decomposed into a unit function and a constant

For shortcut, writing sgn is useful but it is better if it is understood as a sum of the above
two much simpler functions. (We will use this relationship later.)



so(t) = sgn(t)se(t ), se(t) = sgn(t)so(t ), (2.6)
where sgn(x) is the signum function
sgn(x) = 1, for x <0;
0, for x = 0;
+1, for x >0.

1 ) ( ) (
}

= = dt e t X
t je
o e
F
t
j f
1
t
|
\

|
.
|
= sgn( )
F
t
j f
j for f
j for f
1
0
0 t
|
\

|
.
|
= =
>
+ <
sgn( )
sgn(f)
f
2u(f)
f
2
1
-1
f= 1
f
1
sgn(f)=2u(f)-1
=
-
sgn( ) ( ) f u f = 2 1
Nyquist rate
To find Nyquist Rate
Xa (t) = 3 cos (600 t) + 2 cos (1000 t)
Let xa(t) = 3 cos( 2 F1 t) + 2 cos( 2 F2 t)
Where F1= 300 Hz and F2 = 500 Hz.
Fmax = 500 Hz.
Nyquist Rate FNyquist = 2 Fmax = 1000 Hz.