Last updated: Sept 4, 2004.

Practice Problems on Fourier Series

It may be useful for your work to recall the following integrals :
Z
u cos u du = cos u + u sin u + C;

Z
u sin u du = sin u − u cos u + C;

Z π ½
0, when m 6= n,
cos mx cos nx dx =
−π π, when m = n.
Z π ½
0, when m 6= n,
sin mx sin nx dx =
−π π, when m = n.
Z π
cos mx sin nx dx = 0 for all m and n.
−π

Problem 1. Find the period of the given periodic function:

πx
(a) cos 2x (b) sin 3πx (c) sin
3
(d) cot 3x (e) 3 sin 5x (f ) 3 sin x + cos 2x
x
(g) 5 cos 3x + 2 cos 2x (h) 5 cos + 2 cos 2x (i) |cosx|
3
(j) cos2 x (k) cos3 x (l) cos4 x

Problem 2. For a given 2π-periodic function,

(i) sketch several periods of its graph;
(ii) find its Fourier series.

(a) f (x) = 3, −π < x ≤ π.


 2, −π < x < 0,

(b) f (x) = −1, 0 < x < π,

 1
, x = −π, 0, π.
2
(c) f (x) = x, −π ≤ x < π;
Redefine f (x) to the average value at the points of discontinuity.

1
(d) f (x) = cos x, −π < x ≤ π.
½
2π + x, −π ≤ x < 0,
(e) f (x) =
0, 0 ≤ x < π.
Redefine f (x) to the average value at the points of discontinuity.

Problem 3. For a 2L-periodic function given on one full period,

(i) define f (x) at each point of discontinuity by the average value;
(ii) find the Fourier series of f .

½
3, −2 < x < 0,
(a) f (x) =
−1, 0 < x < 2.
½
0, 0 < x < 1,
(b) f (x) =
1, 1 < x < 2.
½
x, −2π < x < 0,
(c) f (x) =
−1, 0 < x < 2π.

Problem 4. For a 2L-periodic function given on one full period,

(i) define f (x) at each point of discontinuity by the average value;
(ii) find the Fourier coefficient a0 .

½
5, −1 < x < 0,
(a) f (x) =
−1, 0 < x < 2.

Problem 5. For the function f (x) defined on the half-period 0 < x < L,
(i) give the even extension to the full period −L < x < L;
(ii) for the functions in (a) and (b), find the Fourier cosine series.

(a) f (x) = −1, 0 < x < 1.

(b) f (x) = 1 − x, 0 < x < 2.

(c) f (x) = sin x, 0 < x < π.

½
x − 5, 0 < x < 1,
(d) f (x) =
0, 1 < x < 2.
½
0, 0 < x < 1,
(e) f (x) =
1 − x, 1 < x < 2.

2
Problem 6. For the functions in Problem 5,
(i) give the odd extension to the full period −L < x < L;
(ii) for the functions in (a) and (b), find the Fourier sine series.

Problem 7. Consider the 2π periodic function given on interval (−π, π) by

the formulas:

 1, −π < x ≤ − π2 ,
f (x) = −1, − π2 < x ≤ π2 ,
 π
1, 2 < x ≤ π.
P
∞
4(−1)k+1
The Fourier Series of this function is f (x) = π(2k+1) cos((2k + 1) x).
k=0

(a) Determine the antiderivative F (x) for f (x) with F (0) = 0. Sketch
the graphs of f (x) and F (x).
(b) Use the integration theorem to find the Fourier series for F (x).
(c) Use the integration theorem again to find the Fourier series for the
second antiderivative of f (x).
(d) What is the condition(s) when the integration theorem is applicable?

Problem 8. Consider the 2π periodic function given on interval (−π, π) by

the formula f (t) = et + e−t . The Fourier series of f (t) is
à ∞
!
eπ − e−π X 2(−1)k
f (t) = 1+ cos(kt) .
π 1 + k2
k=1

(a) Use the differentiation theorem to find the Fourier series for f 0 (t) =
et − e−t .
(b) Sketch the graphs of f (t) and f 0 (t).
(c) Can one use the differentiation theorem to find the Fourier series of
f 00 (t)? Why?

Answers
Problem 1.
(a) π. (b) 23 . (c) 6. (d) π3 . (e) 2π
5 . (f) 2π. (g) 2π. (h) 6π. (i) π. (j) π.
(k) 2π. (l) π.

Problem 2.
(a) a0 = 6, an = bn = 0 for n ≥ 1.

3
 6
(b) a0 = 1, an = 0, bn = − for n odd, 0 for n even, and
µ nπ ¶
1 6 1 1
f (x) = − sin x + sin 3x + sin 5x + . . . .
2 π 3
µ 5 ¶
1 1
(c) fav (π) = 0, f (x) = 2 sin x − sin 2x + sin 3x − . . . .
2 3
(d) a0 = 0, a1 = 1, an = 0 for n ≥ 2; bn = 0.
(e) For x = ±2nπ, (n = 0, 1, . . . ), fav = π;
π 3π 2
for x = ±(2n + 1)π, (n = 0, 1, . . . ), fav = ; a0 = , an = 2 for n
2 2 n π
odd, 0 for n even;
3 1
bn = − for n odd, − for n even; and
n n
3π 2 1 2 1
f (x) = + cos x − 3 sin x − sin 2x + cos 3x − sin 3x − sin 4x + . . ..
4 π 2 9π 4

Problem 3.
(a) fav (0) = fav (2) = 1, a0 = 2, an = 0 for n ≥ 1;
8
bn = − for n odd, 0 for n even; and
nπ µ ¶
8 πx 1 3πx 1 5πx
f (x) = 1 − sin + sin + sin + ... .
π 2 3 2 5 2
(b) fav (0) = fav (1) = 0.5, a0 = 1, an = 0 for n ≥ 1;
2
bn = − for n odd, 0 for n even; and
nπ µ ¶
1 2 1 1
f (x) = − sin πx + sin 3πx + sin 5πx + . . . .
2 π 3 5
4
(c) fav (0) = −0.5, fav (2π) = −2π−1
2 , a0 = −π − 1, an = 2 for n odd,
n π
0 for n even;
2 2 2
bn = − for n odd, − for n even; and
n nπ n
−π − 1 4 x 2 x 4 3x 2 2 3x
f (x) = + cos + (2 − ) sin − sin x + cos + ( − ) sin −
2 π 2 π 2 9π 2 3 3π 2
1
− sin 2x + . . ..
2

Problem 4.
(a) fav (3n) = fav (3n + 2) = 2, for integer n; a0 = 2.

Problem 5.
(a) f (x) = −1 for −1 < x < 0; a0 = −2, an = 0 for n ≥ 1.

4
 8
(b) f (x) = 1 + x for −2 < x < 0; a0 = 0, an = 2 2 for n odd, 0 for n
n π
even.
(c) f (x) = − sin x for −π < x < 0.
(d) f (x) = −x − 5 for −1 < x < 0; 0 for −2 < x < −1.
(e) f (x) = 0 for −1 < x < 0; 1 + x for −2 < x < −1.

Problem 6.
4
(a) f (x) = 1 for −1 < x < 0; bn = − for n odd, 0 for n even.
nπ
4
(b) f (x) = −1 − x for −2 < x < 0; bn = 0 for n odd, for n even.
nπ
(c) f (x) = sin x for −π < x < 0.
(d) f (x) = x + 5 for −1 < x < 0; 0 for −2 < x < −1.
(e) f (x) = 0 for −1 < x < 0; −1 − x for −2 < x < −1.

Problem 7.
(a) 
 π + x, −π < x ≤ − π2 ,
f (x) = −x, − π2 < x ≤ π2 ,
 π
x − π, 2 < x ≤ π.
(b)
∞
X 4(−1)k+1
F (x) = sin((2k + 1)x).
π(2k + 1)2
k=0

(c)
∞
X 4(−1)k
A second antiderivative of f (t) = C + cos((2k + 1)x).
π(2k + 1)3
k=0

Problem 8.
(a)
∞
0 eπ − e−π X 2(−1)k+1 k
f (t) = sin(kt).
π 1 + k2
k=1

(c) No, since f 0 (t) is discontinuous at points π + 2πn, n = 0, ±1, ±2, . . . .