The Fourier Series, the founding principle behind the field of Fourier Analysis, is an infinite expansion of a function in terms

of sines and cosines or imaginary exponentials. Following are some major applications of Fourier series which are extensively used in real world.

Fourier Series and Signal Spectra Analyzer

In electronics application, we have been familiar with some periodic signals such as square wave, rectangular wave, triangular wave, sawtooth wave etc. These periodic signals can be analyzed in frequency domain with the help of fourier series expansion. Consider a experiment in which a function generator generates 1khz square wave which is fed to a very narrow band pass filter is examined by an oscilloscope.Let the square wave has a frequency of 1 millisecond and thus has a fundamental frequency of 1khz. We can change the filter frequency slowly beginning from 0hz. When the frequency reaches to 1khz , sine wave having fundamental frequency of 1khz is displayed. After the frequency moves from 1khz the display disappears . Once again when frequency is at 3khz which is 3rd harmonic frequency, a 3khz sine wave is displayed. Continuing the experiment, we can find at 5th harmonic frequency of 5khz ,a 5khz sine wave is displayed. We can continue to see the sine waves at all the odd numbered harmonic frequencies . This can be fully explained and analyzed by Fourier series analysis.

THE SPECTRUM ANALYZER

An important instrument to any experimentalist is the spectrum analyzer. This instrument reads a signal (usually a voltage) and provides the operator with the Fourier coefficients which correspond to each of the sine and cosine terms of the Fourier expansion of the signal. Oscilloscopes which are equipped with the ability to FFT (Fast Fourier transforms are used for continuous frequency components) their inputs are termed Digital Spectral Analyzers. Although they were once a separate piece of equipment for experimentalists, improvements in digital electronics has made it practical to merge the role of oscilloscopes with that of the Spectral Analyzer; it is quite common now that FFT algorithms come built into oscilloscopes. Spectrum Analyzers have many uses in the laboratory, but one of the most common uses is for signal noise studies. As shown above, the FFT of the signal gives the amplitudes of the various oscillatory components of the input. After normalization, this allows for the experimentalist to determine what frequencies dominate their signal. For example, if you have a DC signal, you would expect the FFT to show only very low frequency oscillations.

Fourier Series and Sounds

Fourier series play a role in the analysis and synthesis of musical sounds. We hear a sound when our eardrums vibrate because of variations in air pressure. If a guitar string is plucked, or a bow is drawn across a violin string, or a piano string is struck, the string starts to vibrate. These vibrations are amplified and transmitted to the air. The resulting air pressure fluctuations arrive at our eardrums and are converted into electrical impulses that are processed by the brain. How is it, then, that we can distinguish between a note of a given pitch produced by two different musical instruments? The fluctuations of flute and a violin playing the same sustained note as a function of time are called waveforms and we see that the variations in air pressure are quite different from each other. In particular, the violin waveform is more complex than that of the flute. We gain insight into the differences between waveforms if we express them as sums of Fourier series . In doing so, we are expressing the sound as a sum of simple pure sounds. The difference in sounds between two instruments can be attributed to the relative sizes of the Fourier coefficients of the respective waveforms.

ANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS
The Fourier Series also has many applications in mathematical analysis. Since it is a sum of multiple sines and cosines, it is easily differentiated and integrated, which often simplifies analysis of functions such as saw waves which are common signals in experimentation.