Fourier analysis
noun Physics, Mathematics.
the expression of any periodic function as a sum of sine and cosine functions, as in an electromagnetic wave function.
Compare Fourier series.
Origin of Fourier analysis
First recorded in 1925–30; named after J.B.J.
Fourier
British Dictionary definitions for fourier analysis
Fourier analysis
/ (ˈfʊərɪˌeɪ) /
noun
the analysis of a periodic function into its simple sinusoidal or harmonic components, whose sum forms a Fourier series
Word Origin for Fourier analysis
C19: named after Baron Jean Baptiste Joseph
Fourier (1768–1830), French mathematician, Egyptologist, and administrator
Scientific definitions for fourier analysis
Fourier analysis
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.