Fourier series break down periodic signals into simple sine and cosine waves. This powerful tool helps us understand complex waveforms by splitting them into basic building blocks.
In this section, we'll learn how to represent signals using Fourier series. We'll explore the math behind it and see how it applies to real-world signals like square waves.
Periodic Signals and Fourier Series
Defining Periodic Signals
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Top images from around the web for Defining Periodic Signals File:Sawtooth Fourier Animation.gif - Wikimedia Commons View original
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Periodic signals repeat at regular intervals called the period T T T
Mathematically, a signal x ( t ) x(t) x ( t ) is periodic if x ( t ) = x ( t + T ) x(t) = x(t + T) x ( t ) = x ( t + T ) for all t t t , where T T T is the period
Examples of periodic signals include sine waves, square waves, and sawtooth waves
Periodic signals can be represented as a sum of sinusoidal components using Fourier series
Fourier Series Representation
Fourier series represents a periodic signal as an infinite sum of sinusoidal components
Each component has a specific frequency , amplitude , and phase
The fundamental frequency f 0 f_0 f 0 is the lowest frequency component and equals the reciprocal of the period (f 0 = 1 / T f_0 = 1/T f 0 = 1/ T )
Harmonics are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency (f n = n ⋅ f 0 f_n = n \cdot f_0 f n = n ⋅ f 0 , where n = 1 , 2 , 3 , … n = 1, 2, 3, \ldots n = 1 , 2 , 3 , … )
The first harmonic is the fundamental frequency itself
Higher harmonics contribute to the shape and complexity of the periodic signal
Fourier Series Representation
Fourier Series Coefficients
Fourier series coefficients determine the amplitude and phase of each sinusoidal component
The DC component a 0 a_0 a 0 represents the average value of the signal over one period
a 0 = 1 T ∫ 0 T x ( t ) d t a_0 = \frac{1}{T} \int_{0}^{T} x(t) dt a 0 = T 1 ∫ 0 T x ( t ) d t
The coefficients a n a_n a n and b n b_n b n represent the amplitudes of the cosine and sine components, respectively
a n = 2 T ∫ 0 T x ( t ) cos ( 2 π n f 0 t ) d t a_n = \frac{2}{T} \int_{0}^{T} x(t) \cos(2\pi n f_0 t) dt a n = T 2 ∫ 0 T x ( t ) cos ( 2 πn f 0 t ) d t
b n = 2 T ∫ 0 T x ( t ) sin ( 2 π n f 0 t ) d t b_n = \frac{2}{T} \int_{0}^{T} x(t) \sin(2\pi n f_0 t) dt b n = T 2 ∫ 0 T x ( t ) sin ( 2 πn f 0 t ) d t
The trigonometric form of the Fourier series is:
x ( t ) = a 0 + ∑ n = 1 ∞ ( a n cos ( 2 π n f 0 t ) + b n sin ( 2 π n f 0 t ) ) x(t) = a_0 + \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \left(a_n \cos(2\pi n f_0 t) + b_n \sin(2\pi n f_0 t)\right) x ( t ) = a 0 + ∑ n = 1 ∞ ( a n cos ( 2 πn f 0 t ) + b n sin ( 2 πn f 0 t ) )
The complex exponential form of the Fourier series is:
x ( t ) = ∑ n = − ∞ ∞ c n e j 2 π n f 0 t x(t) = \sum_{n=-\infty}^{\infty} c_n e^{j2\pi n f_0 t} x ( t ) = ∑ n = − ∞ ∞ c n e j 2 πn f 0 t
The coefficients c n c_n c n are complex numbers that combine the information from a n a_n a n and b n b_n b n
c n = 1 T ∫ 0 T x ( t ) e − j 2 π n f 0 t d t c_n = \frac{1}{T} \int_{0}^{T} x(t) e^{-j2\pi n f_0 t} dt c n = T 1 ∫ 0 T x ( t ) e − j 2 πn f 0 t d t
Fourier Series Properties
Parseval's Theorem
Parseval's theorem relates the energy of a periodic signal to its Fourier series coefficients
The total energy of a periodic signal over one period is equal to the sum of the squared magnitudes of its Fourier coefficients
1 T ∫ 0 T ∣ x ( t ) ∣ 2 d t = ∣ a 0 ∣ 2 + 1 2 ∑ n = 1 ∞ ( ∣ a n ∣ 2 + ∣ b n ∣ 2 ) \frac{1}{T} \int_{0}^{T} |x(t)|^2 dt = |a_0|^2 + \frac{1}{2} \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} (|a_n|^2 + |b_n|^2) T 1 ∫ 0 T ∣ x ( t ) ∣ 2 d t = ∣ a 0 ∣ 2 + 2 1 ∑ n = 1 ∞ ( ∣ a n ∣ 2 + ∣ b n ∣ 2 ) (trigonometric form)
1 T ∫ 0 T ∣ x ( t ) ∣ 2 d t = ∑ n = − ∞ ∞ ∣ c n ∣ 2 \frac{1}{T} \int_{0}^{T} |x(t)|^2 dt = \sum_{n=-\infty}^{\infty} |c_n|^2 T 1 ∫ 0 T ∣ x ( t ) ∣ 2 d t = ∑ n = − ∞ ∞ ∣ c n ∣ 2 (complex exponential form)
This theorem is useful for analyzing the energy distribution among the frequency components of a periodic signal
Gibbs Phenomenon
Gibbs phenomenon occurs when a Fourier series approximates a discontinuous periodic signal
Near the discontinuities, the Fourier series approximation exhibits oscillations (overshoots and undershoots)
As more terms are added to the Fourier series, the oscillations become narrower but do not decrease in amplitude
The maximum overshoot is approximately 9% of the jump discontinuity, regardless of the number of terms used
Gibbs phenomenon is important to consider when using Fourier series to approximate signals with sharp transitions (square waves or sawtooth waves)