Fourier analysis

noun

, Physics, Mathematics.

1. the expression of any periodic function as a sum of sine and cosine functions, as in an electromagnetic wave function. Compare Fourier series.
2. harmonic analysis.

Fourier analysis

/ ˈfʊərɪˌeɪ /

noun

1. the analysis of a periodic function into its simple sinusoidal or harmonic components, whose sum forms a Fourier series

Fourier analysis

1. The branch of mathematics concerned with the approximation of periodic functions by the Fourier series and with generalizations of such approximations to a wider class of functions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Fourier analysis¹

First recorded in 1925–30; named after J.B.J. Fourier

Word History and Origins

Origin of Fourier analysis¹

C19: named after Baron Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier (1768–1830), French mathematician, Egyptologist, and administrator