ABSTRACT
The Heaviside unit step function is used in the mathematics of control theory and signal processing to represent a signal that switches on at a specified time and stays switched on indefinitely. It is also used in structural mechanics to describe different types of structural loads. The Heaviside function has applications in engineering where periodic functions are represented. In many physical situations things change suddenly; breaks are applied, a switch is thrown, collisions occur. The Heaviside unit function is very useful for representing sudden change. The switching process can be described mathematically by the function called the Unit Step Function – otherwise known as the Heaviside unit step function.
