Intro to

Fourier Series
• Vector decomposition
• Even and Odd functions
• Fourier Series definition and examples

Copyright © 2007 by M.H. Perrott

All rights reserved.
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 1
 Review of Vector Decomposition
Q

y = [0 1] r = [1.3 0.75]

I
x = [1 0]

• Any vector can be decomposed into

a set of appropriately weighted
orthonormal basis vectors
• Example:

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 2

 Calculation of Vector Weights
Q

y = [0 1] r = [1.3 0.75]

I
x = [1 0]

• Perform inner products with

basis vectors

• Example:

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 3

 The Basis Vectors are Not Unique
Q

x=[ 1 1 ]
2 2 r = [1.3 0.75]

y = [ -1 1 ]
2 2
I

• Inner product calculations:

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 4

 Observations on Basis Decomposition
• We can consider any vector as a sum of
weighted orthonormal basis vectors
• The weights are determined by an inner
product calculations (also known as projections)
– Consist of element-by-element multiplications
followed by addition of the resulting products

x=[ 1 1 ]
2 2 r = [1.3 0.75]
• Inner product calculations:
y = [ -1 1 ]
2 2
I

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 5

 Can We Decompose Functions?
• Consider a periodic function such as a square wave

• Could we decompose the above waveform into a

weighted sum of basis functions?
• If so, what would be a good choice for such basis
functions?
• How would we calculate the weights?

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 6

 Consider Sine Wave Basis Functions
• Suppose we consider sine waves of progressively
increasing frequencies as our basis functions
sin(ωot)

sin(2ωot)
t

sin(3ωot)
t

• Check out the following Java applet demo:

– Available at: http://www.falstad.com/fourier/
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 7
 Issue: Sine Waves Are Limited
• A sine wave corresponds to an odd function
sin(ωot)

• Odd function definition:

• Adding odd functions together can only produce an

odd function

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 8

 Consider Cosine Wave Basis Functions
• Even function definition:

• Cosine waves are even functions

cos(ωot)

cos(2ωot)
t

cos(3ωot)
t

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 9

 Combine Cosines and Sines
• If we use both cosine and sine waveforms as basis
functions, we can realize both even and odd
functions (and any combination)
Even Odd
t t

cos(ωot) sin(ωot)

t t

cos(2ωot) sin(2ωot)
t t

cos(3ωot) sin(3ωot)
t t

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 10

 The Fourier Series
• A periodic waveform, x(t), with period T can be
represented as an infinite sum of weighted cosine
and sine waveforms
x(t)

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 11

 Intuition for Fourier Series
• Compare Fourier Series to vector decomposition:
Vector Decomp. Fourier Series

• The Fourier Series weight (i.e., an and bn)

calculations are analogous to vector inner products!
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 12
 Sine Wave Example
Ksin(ωot) K T
t

-K

(DC Average is 0)

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 13

 Graphical View of Fourier Series (Sine)
Ksin(ωot) K T
t

-K

• We can plot Fourier coefficients as a function of

index or frequency
an af
K K

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T

bn bf
K K

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 14
 Fourier Series of Cosine
Kcos(ωot) K T
t

-K

an af
K K

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T

bn bf
K K

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 15
Fourier Series of Cosine with DC component
K(cos(ωot)+1) 2K T

an af
K K

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T

bn bf
K K

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 16
 Fourier Series of Phase-Shifted Cosine
K T
t

-K
• Using a well known trigonometric identity:

an af
Kcosθ Kcosθ

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T

bn bf
Ksinθ Ksinθ

0 n 0 f (Hz)
0 1 2 3 0 1/T 2/T 3/T
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 17
 Vector View of Phase-Shifted Cosine
K T
t

-K
• Using a well known trigonometric identity:

Q = sin(ωot)

Kcos(ωot - θ)
Ksin(θ)

θ
I = cos(ωot)
Kcos(θ)
M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 18
 Square Wave Example
x(t)
A T/2
t
-A
• By inspection:
T
– DC average = 0 ⇒ a0 = 0
– x(t) is odd ⇒ an = 0 (n ≥ 1)

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 19

 Summary
• Vector decomposition provides a nice starting point
for understanding Fourier Series
– Vector decomposition into a sum of weighted basis vectors

• Fourier Series decomposes periodic waveforms into

an infinite sum of weighted cosine and sine functions
– We can look at waveforms either in ‘time’ or ‘frequency’
– Useful tool: even and odd functions

• Some issues we will deal with next time

– Fourier Series definition covered today is not very compact
• We will look at a simpler formulation based on complex
exponentials
– Fourier Series only deals with periodic waveforms
• We will introduce the Fourier Transform to deal with non-
periodic waveforms

M.H. Perrott © 2007 Intro to Fourier Series, Slide 20