ECE 280/Fall 2025/Final

This page lists the topics covered on the final exam for Dr. Gustafson's ECE 280 Fall 2025. This will cover everything through Homework 10 and all lecture material. While there is no example final exam, there are sample tests for Dr. G at Test Bank.

Final Coverage

1. Everything on Test 1
2. Everything on Test 2
3. Sampling and Communications
   • Be able to recognize block diagrams for impulse sampling and recovery from an impulse sampler
   • Know the importance of the Nyquist Criterion
   • Be able to recognize block diagrams for amplitude modulation with or without suppressed carrier, synchronous demodulation, and asynchronous demodulation (envelope detection)
4. Laplace Transforms
   • Be able to determine Laplace and Inverse Laplace Transforms using the pairs and properties tables, including figuring out necessary adjustments to make things work for the tables; for inverses this also means being able to do partial fraction expansion, including for repeated roots.
   • Be able to find a transfer function, step response, and impulse response from a differential equation using Laplace
   • Be able to find a differential equation from a transfer function, step response, or impulse response
   • Be able to draw a pole-zero plot for a Laplace Transform and understand how it relates to the transform's ROC
   • Be able to use Initial and Final Value Theorems for Unilateral Laplace Transforms
   • Know how to identify or write the Laplace transform of a signal that is semi-periodic.
   • Understand that a Bilateral Laplace Transform is incomplete without its accompanying ROC or some statement that makes it possible to determine the correct ROC (i.e. "a right sided / left sided signal...", "H represents a causal system..." or "H represents a stable system..."); the ROC for a Unilateral Laplace Transform is everything to the right of the right-most pole (if there is one) or the whole plane.
   • Understand how the ROC relates to system stability and causality as well as signal-sidedness.
   • Know how to identify when a MOAT will be useful and how to get the coefficients for it.
   • Be able to determine a differential equation from a Laplace Transform-based transfer function and vice versa.
   • Be able to solve a differential equation with potentially non-zero initial conditions and potentially non-constant forcing functions.

Equation Sheet

An equation sheet will be provided - check Canvas for the latest version.

Specifically Not On The Test

1. Maple
2. MATLAB
3. Python
4. Bode plots
5. Being able to set up equations for a circuit using Unilateral Laplace Transform-based impedances and source representations (and solve if relatively simple).