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About Fourier Transformation

Fourier Transformation

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12 views2 pages

About Fourier Transformation

Fourier Transformation

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© © All Rights Reserved
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About Fourier Transformation

In mathematics, the Fourier transform (FT) is an integral transform that takes a function as input and
outputs another function that describes the extent to which various frequencies are present in the
original function. The output of the transform is a complex-valued function of frequency. The term
Fourier transform refers to both this complex-valued function and the mathematical operation.
When a distinction needs to be made, the output of the operation is sometimes called the frequency
domain representation of the original function. The Fourier transform is analogous to decomposing
the sound of a musical chord into the intensities of its constituent pitches.

The Fourier transform relates the time domain, in red, with a function in the domain of the
frequency, in blue. The component frequencies, extended for the whole frequency spectrum, are
shown as peaks in the domain of the frequency.

The red sinusoid can be described by peak amplitude (1), peak-to-peak (2), RMS (3), and wavelength
(4). The red and blue sinusoids have a phase difference of θ.

Functions that are localized in the time domain have Fourier transforms that are spread out across
the frequency domain and vice versa, a phenomenon known as the uncertainty principle. The critical
case for this principle is the Gaussian function, of substantial importance in probability theory and
statistics as well as in the study of physical phenomena exhibiting normal distribution (e.g.,
diffusion). The Fourier transform of a Gaussian function is another Gaussian function. Joseph Fourier
introduced sine and cosine transforms (which correspond to the imaginary and real components of
the modern Fourier transform) in his study of heat transfer, where Gaussian functions appear as
solutions of the heat equation.

The Fourier transform can be formally defined as an improper Riemann integral, making it an
integral transform, although this definition is not suitable for many applications requiring a more
sophisticated integration theory.[note 1] For example, many relatively simple applications use the
Dirac delta function, which can be treated formally as if it were a function, but the justification
requires a mathematically more sophisticated viewpoint.[note 2]

The Fourier transform can also be generalized to functions of several variables on Euclidean space,
sending a function of 3-dimensional 'position space' to a function of 3-dimensional momentum (or a
function of space and time to a function of 4-momentum). This idea makes the spatial Fourier
transform very natural in the study of waves, as well as in quantum mechanics, where it is important
to be able to represent wave solutions as functions of either position or momentum and sometimes
both. In general, functions to which Fourier methods are applicable are complex-valued, and
possibly vector-valued.[note 3] Still further generalization is possible to functions on groups, which,
besides the original Fourier transform on R or Rn, notably includes the discrete-time Fourier
transform (DTFT, group = Z), the discrete Fourier transform (DFT, group = Z mod N) and the Fourier
series or circular Fourier transform (group = S1, the unit circle ≈ closed finite interval with endpoints
identified). The latter is routinely employed to handle periodic functions. The fast Fourier transform
(FFT) is an algorithm for computing the DFT.

Bibliography:

1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourier_transform

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