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Spectrum Analysis and the Frequency Domain
University Engineering Lab Series - Lab 2
Application Note
Introduction
Signals can be represented in either the time or frequency domain. Mathematically, the two
representations are connected by either Fourier or Laplace transforms. Signals can be measured in
the laboratory in either domain, but using different instruments. While the oscilloscope is the most
common instrument for time domain measurements, the spectrum analyzer is the most common
instrument for frequency domain measurements. Linear systems can likewise be characterized by
either their time domain impulse response or by their frequency domain transfer function. The transfer
function proves much easier in many circumstances because input signals are simply multiplied by the
transfer function to produce the output frequency domain representation, whereas time domain input
signals must be convolved with the impulse response to produce the output time domain waveform.
Spectrum analyzers allow the frequency domain representation of a signal to be directly viewed,
and network analyzers provide direct measurement of the transfer function in the frequency domain.
In this laboratory, the spectrum analyzer will be introduced and its basic operation, functions, and
measurements will be developed.