The notion of a transfer function applies well beyond linear circuits. Although we don't have all we need to demonstrate the result as yet, all linear, time-invariant systems have a frequency-domain input-output relation given by the product of the input's Fourier transform and the system's transfer function. Thus, linear circuits are a special case of linear, time-invariant systems. As we tackle more sophisticated problems in transmitting, manipulating, and receiving information, we will assume linear systems having certain properties (transfer functions) without worrying about what circuit has the desired property. At this point, you may be concerned that this approach is glib, and rightly so. Later we'll show that by involving software that we really don't need to be concerned about constructing a transfer function from circuit elements and op-amps.
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