Includes bibliographical references.

The study of communication systems can be divided into two distinct áreas: 1. How communication systems work. 2. How they perform in the presence of noise. I he study ofeach ofthese two áreas, in tum, requires specific tools. To study the first área, the The udents must be familiar with signal analysis (Fourier techniques), and to study the second área, a basic understanding ofprobability theory and random processes is essential. For a meaningful comparison ofvarious communication systems, it is necessary to have some understanding of the second área. For this reason many instructors feel that the study of communication systems is not complete unless both of the áreas are covered reasonably well. However, it poses one serious problem: the material to be covered is enormous. The two áreas along with their tools are overwhelming; it is difficult to cover this material in depth in one course.