Joseph baron fourier biography

The following is from The Fourier Transform and Its Application, by Ronald N. Bracewell, McGraw-Hill, ,pp

Baron Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier (March 21 May 16, ), born in poor circumstances in Auxerre, introduced the idea that an arbitrary function, even one defined by different analytic expressions in adjacent segments of its range (such as a staircase waveform), could nevertheless be represented by a single analytic expression.

Joseph baron fourier biography

This idea encountered resistance at the time I but has proved to be central to many later developments in mathematics science, and engineering. It is at the heart of the electrical engineering curriculum today. Fourier came upon his idea in connection with the problem of the flow of heat in solid bodies, including the earth.

The formula

x/2 = sin x - (sin 2x)/2 + (sin 3x)/3 + · · ·

was published by Leonhard Euler () before Fourier&#;s work began, so you might like to ponder the question why Euler d