SignalSheets as a platform for learning DSP

This paper describes a spreadsheet platform for learning signal processing called SignalSheets. SignalSheets consists of sections, each represents a signal transformation from input to output. In this paper, we use SignalSheets to explain how to estimate spectrum of an input signal using fast Fourier transform (FFT) of Appoints. It starts with putting the input signal into an input section. If the signal is of known spectrum, we can calculate the actual spectrum as a reference. We then apply N-point FFT and compare the results to the reference. Users can use various N points to study the performance of FFT in estimating spectrum. They can then use various windows and observe its impacts. The paper shows how ordinary spreadsheets such as Gnumeric can simulate standard as well as advanced signal processing concepts.