How Do I Solve This Complex Fourier Series Problem?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around solving a complex Fourier series problem, specifically focusing on the mathematical specification of a function, the Fourier transform, and the sketching of its imaginary part. Participants are seeking guidance on various parts of the problem, including integration techniques and expression formulation.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Technical explanation
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in solving a Fourier series problem and requests a worked example or direction.
  • Another participant asks for clarification on what has been attempted for a specific part of the problem.
  • A participant shares their attempt at the Fourier transform but is uncertain about its correctness and struggles with integration.
  • Suggestions are made to express the exponential term in terms of sines and cosines for easier integration.
  • There is a discussion about the explicit expression for g(t), with one participant proposing g(t) = Sin(ωt) and another questioning its validity based on a provided graph.
  • Participants discuss the representation of the exponential term and its relation to sine and cosine functions.
  • One participant indicates confusion about sketching the imaginary part of the transform and seeks further guidance.
  • Another participant emphasizes the need to first obtain an expression for the transform before addressing the imaginary part.
  • There is a request for participants to share their current progress on the integral after applying a substitution technique.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach consensus on the correctness of the proposed expressions or the approach to the problem. There are multiple competing views on how to proceed with the integration and the sketching of the graph.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the use of a limited table of integrals and derivatives, indicating potential limitations in available resources for solving the problem. There are also unresolved mathematical steps regarding the integration process and the formulation of the Fourier transform.

Ram_1
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Hi there,

I have been having problems with the question that I have attached, I have given it a go but unfortunately don't have a scanner to scan any of my work in but I will post it as soon as I can. Until then I was hoping that someone would be willing to give me a worked example of a similar question or just point me in the right direction as I am almost completely lost and the only part that I can answer confidently is part (a).


Many thanks in advance


Ram
 

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  • Question 3 Fourier Transforms.jpg
    Question 3 Fourier Transforms.jpg
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What have you been able to do or try so far for part (b), "write a mathematical specification for the function"?
 
I have gone as far as doing the Fourier transform but again I'm not entirely sure that this is correct, I got:


[tex]G(f) =[/tex][tex]\int^{\pi}_{-\pi}Sin(t)e^{-j}^{\omega}^{t}dt[/tex]

I am not sure if this is as far as I need to go or not, I tried to complete the integration by using the integration by parts technique but got a very jumbled answer. The last part of the question (sketching the imaginary part of the transform) I haven't been able to do at all but I get the feeling it's something I could do if pointed in the right direction and if I manage to get the first part of the question right.
 
Looks good so far. From the question wording, it sounds like they also want an explicit expression for g(t).

For the integral, it might be easier if you express e^(-jwt) in terms of sines and cosines.

Are you permitted to use a table of integrals?

edit:
p.s Welcome to Physics Forums!
 
Thank you very much for the welcome.

The explisit expression I think is:

[tex]g(t)=Sin(\omega t)[/tex]

Would I be right in saying that [tex]e^{-j \omega t}[/tex] would be written as:

[tex]e^{-j \omega t}=Cos(\omega t)-j Sin(\omega t)[/tex]?

and yes we do have a limited table of integrals and derivatives.
 
Ram_1 said:
Thank you very much for the welcome.

The explisit expression I think is:

[tex]g(t)=Sin(\omega t)[/tex]

Would I be right in saying that [tex]e^{-j \omega t}[/tex] would be written as:

[tex]e^{-j \omega t}=Cos(\omega t)-j Sin(\omega t)[/tex]?

and yes we do have a limited table of integrals and derivatives.

Yes, [itex]e^{-i\omega t}= cos(-\omega t)+ i sin(-\omega t)= cos(\omega t)- i sin(\omega t)[/itex] because cosine is an even function and sine is an odd function.

You could also do this the other way around:
[tex]sin(\omega t)= \frac{e^{\omega t}- e^{-\omega t}}{2i}[/tex]

(Sorry, I just can't bring myself to write "j" instead of "i"!)
 
Ram_1 said:
Thank you very much for the welcome.

The explisit expression I think is:

[tex]g(t)=Sin(\omega t)[/tex]
I see a problem with that expression. For example, it gives g(3pi/2) is -1, whereas the graph you provided clearly shows g(3pi/2) is zero.

Would I be right in saying that [tex]e^{-j \omega t}[/tex] would be written as:

[tex]e^{-j \omega t}=Cos(\omega t)-j Sin(\omega t)[/tex]?

Yes, that's right. But HallsofIvy gives an even better way to evaluate the integral, using the substitution

[tex] \sin (t) = \frac{e^{jt}-e^{-jt}}{2j}[/tex]

and yes we do have a limited table of integrals and derivatives.

Just as a general suggestion, it could help in your studies to have a full table of integrals handy. You can tell it's a full table if it has something like 700 or 800 integrals (or possibly more) included.
 
Ok, I think I understand all that now but the next part of the question

"sketch a labelled graph of the imaginary parts of the transform"

is where I really start to struggle as I don't really know what it's asking for, do you think you could point me in the right direction as I haven't even been able to start this part?
 
Did you get an expression for the transform? You need to do that first. Then find the imaginary part of the expression.
 
  • #10
Ok I have tried to get an expression using that substitution but I still can't figure it out.
 
  • #11
What have you got so far?
 
  • #12
Yes, please write out the integral you have after making the substitution -- the one for sin(t) given in Post #7.
 

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