Printing a calculated function.

Hi, I'm calculating some convolutions and I need to see what function 'z' is, disp(z) only displays the array of values z has, how can I make it print the function it represents?

syms t 
t = linspace(-10, 10, 1000)
t1 = linspace(-10, 10, 2000)
x = cos(8*pi*t)
subplot(3, 1, 2)
plot(t, x)
title('x(t)')

y = rectangularPulse(-2.5, 2.5, t)
subplot(3, 1, 1)
plot(t, y)
title('h(t)')

z = conv(x, y, 'same')
subplot(3, 1, 3)
plot(t, z)
title('y(t)')

disp(z) % How do I display the function this represents?

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

syms t T
x(t) = cos(8*pi*t)

x(t) = 

y(t) = rectangularPulse(-2.5, 2.5, t)

y(t) = 

z(t) = int(x(t)*y(T-t), T, -inf, inf)       %continuous convolution

z(t) = 

Answer 2

[John D'Errico]

You CANNOT. At least, given only the vector of values, there are infinitely many possible functions that may have generated them. MATLAB cannot possible know which one caused thatvector of numbers to arise.

Can you compute a convolution using symbolic tools? Well, yes. Sort of. Given function inputs, then the convolution is just an integral. If the integral has an analytical solution, and the symbolic tool int can solve it, then yes. Conv does not accept symbolic input as I recall though.