Synopsis

The subject of digital communications involves the transmission of information in digital form from a source that generates the information to one or more destinations. This course extends the knowledge gained from ECS332 (Principles of Communications) and ECS315 (Probability and Random Processes). Basic principles that underlie the analysis and design of digital communication systems are covered. This semester, the main focus includes performance analysis (symbol error probability), optimal receivers, and limits (information theoretic quantities). These topics are challenging but the presented material are carefully selected to keep the difficulty level appropriate for undergraduate students.

Announcements

  • Information regarding the final exam [Posted on May 4; Last updated @ 11AM on May 16]
    • Check this course website regularly for breaking news about the final.
      • See the Google Calendar below for Dr.Prapun's Office Hours during the exam week.
        • More can be added
    • Date: 18 May 2016
    • TIME: 13:30-16:30
    • ROOMs: BKD 3506, 3507
    • 11 pages (including 1 cover page)
    • 12+1 = 13 Questions (14+17+9+3+5+7+6+11+12+11+3+1+1)
    • One A4 sheet allowed.
      • Use the returned study sheet from the midterm exam.
      • Add more formulas or information on the remaining side (or in the remaining space(s)).
        • Basically, you have one whole page for the final exam.
        • Q: Can I make a brand new study sheet?
          A: No.
          However, if you think the old one is in a bad shape (falling apart), you can use a photocopy of your own. (Reduction in size is not allowed though)
        • Q: What can I do if I lose my study sheet?
          A: Dr.Prapun can print out a scanned copy for you. (The writing won’t be as crisp as the original one but it’s better than nothing.)
        • Q: I think the midterm study sheet (and the thing I wrote on it) is cursed (making me get poor score); I don’t want to see or use anything on it anymore. What can I do?
          A: You may bring a brand new sheet for the final exam. However, you can only use one side of it.
      • Same rules as the midterm:
        • Must be hand-written in your own handwriting.
        • No small pieces of paper notes glued/attached on top of it.
        • Indicate your name and ID on the upper right corner of the sheet (in portrait orientation).
        • Do not modify (,e.g., add/underline/highlight) content on the sheet inside the exam room.
        • Submit your A4 sheet with your exam.
      • Violating the above instructions will cost you 10 pt.
    • Cover all the materials that we discussed in class and practice in the HWs.
      • Material Distribution (score-wise): 14 (CH4) + 47 (CH5) + 34 (CH6) + 4 (CH7,8)
      • All post-midterm annotated notes
      • All post-midterm HWs and solutions. 
        • There is one HW with no name. Please contact me ASAP to claim your HW.
        • Note that only a part of one question is graded. So, read the solutions even when you get a 5.
        • All graded HWs are available in the HW box. [May 10, 2016]
        • Correction
          • In Q6b of HW7, three methods were provided for the optimization of the constant "a". However, for Method 3, when I took the derivative, a minus sign was missing. This did not affect the final result though because we set the derivative to be zero anyway. [Credit: Panyawat]
            • The solution of HW7 and the combined solution are updated accordingly [Fixed @ 11AM on May 16]
      • All post-midterm slides
      • All post-midtermin-class exercises and solutions
  • Information regarding midterm exam
    • Check this course website regularly for breaking news about the midterm.
    • Date: 9 Mar 2016
    • TIME: 13:30-16:30
    • ROOMs: BKD 3506 & 3507
    • 10 pages (including 1 cover page)
    • 11+1 = 12 Questions (9+14+9+1+10+11.5+13.5+13+2+4+12+1)
    • One A4 page allowed.
      • Must be hand-written in your own handwriting.
      • No small pieces of paper notes glued/attached on top of it.
      • Indicate your name and ID on the upper right corner of the sheet (in portrait orientation).
      • Do not modify (,e.g., add/underline/highlight) content on the sheet inside the exam room.
      • Submit your A4 sheet with your exam. (You can get it back from me after the midterm is graded.)
      • 1 pt
    • Basic calculators (fx-991) are permitted, but borrowing is not allowed. You will need it for entropy calculation.
    • Cover all the materials that we discussed in class and practice in the HWs.
      • Material Distribution (score-wise): 43 (CH2) + 44 (CH3) + 12 (CH4)
      • All annotated notes
      • All HWs and solutions (Note that only a part of one question is graded. So, read the solutions even when you get a 5.)
        • Graded HWs (1-3)are available in the HW box
        • Typo in the solution for HW3: For Q4.d.iii, the conclusion (in red color) for p0 > 0.4 and p0 < 0.4 should be swapped. The current solution has been fixed (in pink color). [Credit: Nonpawit]
      • All slides
      • All in-class exercises and solutions
  • Graded HWs are available in the HW box.
  • Room changes:
    • Wednesday: BKD2401 (also ECS306)
    • Thursday: BKD2506 (also ECS462)
  • The lecture on Wed 27 is replaced by the talks from HKNU Visitors.
    • Room: 2501-2
  • This site can be accessed via ecs452.prapun.com
  • A basic RSS feed is available for tracking site updates.
  • Welcome to ECS452! Feel free to look around this site.

General Information

Handouts and Course Material

Problem Set

  1. HW 1 (Due: Feb 5)
  2. HW2 (Due: Feb 19)
  3. HW3 (Due: Feb 26)
  4. HW4 (Not Due)
  5. Self-Evaluation (1) (Due: Mar 9)
  6. HW5 (Due: Apr 1)
  7. HW6 (Due: Apr 27)
  8. HW7 (Not Due)
    • Solution [Posted @ 12PM on Apr 28; Fixed @ 11AM on May 16]
  9. HW8 (Not Due)
  10. Self-Evaluation (2) (Due: May 18)

Calendar



Reading Assignment


Misc. Links