THE LAPLACE TRANSFORM FOR

PERIODIC FUNCTIONS
Suppose that f : [0, ) R is periodic of period T > 0, i.e. f(t + T) = f(t) for all
t 0. Suppose further that f has a Laplace transform and denote it by F. Then, by the
additivity of the integral
L(f) =

_
0
e
st
f(t) dt =

n=0
(n+1)T
_
nT
e
st
f(t) dt .
Now we rewrite each of these separate integrals by making a change of variable. For any
particular integer n, set t = nT + r. Then
(n+1)T
_
nT
e
st
f(t) dt =
T
_
0
e
s(nT+r)
f(nT + r) dr
= e
snT
T
_
0
e
sr
f(nT + r) dr .
By periodicity of f, f(nT + r) = f(r) for all r so that in fact
(n+1)T
_
nT
e
st
f(t) dt = e
snT
T
_
0
e
sr
f(r) dr ,
this latter integral being independent of n. It follows that
L(f) =

n=0
e
snT
T
_
0
e
sr
f(r) dr =
_
_
T
_
0
e
sr
f(r) dr
_
_
_

n=0
(e
sT
)
n
_
.
This latter sum is a geometric series with sum
1
1 e
sT
. Hence
L(f) =
_
T
0
e
sr
f(r) dr
1 e
sT
.
Example: Look at the sawtooth wave, similar to the one dened in lecture,
f(t) = t , 0 t < T , f(t + T) = f(t) .
We use the above formula to compute the Laplace transform of this function. Indeed,
1
T
_
0
t e
st
dt =
_

t
s
e
st

T
0

1
s
2
_
e
st

T
0
=
T
s
e
sT

1
s
2
e
sT
+
1
s
2
.
So
L(f) =
_
1
s
2

1
s
2
e
sT

T
s
e
sT

1 e
sT
=
_
(1e
sT
)
s
2
_

_
T
s
e
sT

(1 e
sT
)
=
1
s
2
Ts
_
e
sT
1 e
sT
_
.
2