· For a discrete-time signal
, the two-sided z-transform is defined by
. The one-sided z-transform is defined by
. In both cases, the z-transform is a polynomial in the complex variable
.
· The inverse z-transform is obtained by contour integration in the complex plane
. This is usually avoided by partial fraction inversion techniques, similar to the Laplace transform.
· Along with a z-transform we associate its region of convergence (or ROC). These are the values of
for which
is bounded (i.e., of finite magnitude).
· Some common z-transforms are shown below.
· The z-transform also has various properties that are useful. The table below lists properties for the two-sided z-transform. The one-sided z-transform properties can be derived from the ones below by considering the signal
instead of simply
.