A Student's Guide to Fourier Transforms: With Applications in Physics and Engineering

A Student's Guide

by J.F. James

This new edition of a successful textbook for undergraduate students in physics, computer science and electrical engineering describes important contemporary ideas in practical science and information technology at an understandable level, illustrated with worked examples and copious diagrams. The field is covered broadly rather than in depth, and includes references to more extended works on various topics. This new edition is slightly expanded, and includes additional new material in the applications sections.

Genres: Mathematics, Physics, Science, Textbooks, Technical, Engineering

Paperback

First published February 24, 1995

Reviews

[Paige McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anand Kumar writes a textbook for humans not the alien beings in the American meritocracy where it is "sink or swim" and where you're on your own figuring Fourier transforms out. Bad teaching based on survival of the fittest because in college meritocratic tech gatekeeping knowledge is power and only neurotic workaholic brown nosers need apply to get a shot an engineer or manager or another tool of a power-hungry CEO. You know the creeps who make the algorithms. Bicycle people bureaucrats bowing to money and power above and kicking and pumping away at those below. Ask me about "the good students" anytime.

[Kevin K. Gillette]

Yet another addition to the growing collection of Student's Guides from Cambridge Press, this volume dissects and lays bare the details of the legendary Fourier Transform in its many incarnations. As with the others reviewed by this writer, this monograph is highly recommended for undergraduate physics and engineering students.

[Warren Gossett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the third edition of this book on Fourier transforms. I appreciated the way the author says it is deliberately set up to be an incomplete guide that touches many areas only in passing. I loved the challenge of delving into online articles to fill some of he intriguing gaps. There is always more to ponder. I was inspired to order more books in this area.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 3rd edition. Nearly everything you’d want to know for practical Fourier transformations in the wild. Especially appreciate a brief discussion on Wiener-Khinchin theorem. I consult this book all the time!

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Student’s Guide to Fourier Transforms is what it says it is. As it is a Student’s Guide, the book is somewhat short and the author tells us that the book is incomplete by design. The book covers Fourier Transforms which are a staple in engineering and physics. It starts out with the idea of Fourier Transforms themselves and continues on throughout, covering the equations necessary to describe them and break down the waveforms.

The book is really interesting. I happen to have the Third Edition, and in it is a program in BASIC to perform an FFT or Fast Fourier Transform. I suppose if you didn’t suck at programming like I do that you could translate it into a more modern language, but at the same time, I imagine that there are now modules or parts of the language that automatically do it in one line of code. It is still interesting to read and understand it though.

The book has applications of the things it teaches and plenty of worked examples. There aren’t really many practice problems, but that is the only thing besides the length of the book that bothered me.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really helpful if you're trying to tackle Fourier Transforms. It's got lots of graphs and proofs; mathematical meat and potatoes. Unfortunately, it's like 75 pages long and cost about $27! If you're like me, the desire to purchase this book (x) will nose dive to 0 as your smug dissatisfaction approaches infinity.