Zeitsignals

Zeitsignale, or time signals, are signals whose value depends on time and are used to carry information about physical processes or system states. In mathematics, a continuous-time signal is a function x(t) defined for real t, whereas a discrete-time signal is a sequence x[n] obtained by sampling x(t) at regular intervals.

Time signals can be analyzed in the time domain, focusing on amplitude as a function of time, or in the frequency domain, via transforms such as the Fourier transform. Important properties include amplitude, phase, bandwidth, duration, and temporal resolution. The sampling theorem states that a signal must be sampled at least twice its highest frequency to be reconstructed without aliasing.

Because many practical signals are measured by sensors, Zeitsignale are central to telecommunications, audio processing, control systems, and instrumentation. Common examples are audio waveforms, ECG traces, seismic records, and telemetry data. Time signals may be continuous or discrete, deterministic or stochastic, and may exhibit noise, drift, or nonstationarity.

Processing typically involves filtering, resampling, interpolation, and synchronization with clocks. Time signals are often analyzed to extract features such as frequency content, phases, and arrival times. In modern systems, precise time signals and timing references (for example from GPS) enable synchronization across devices and networks.