An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A powerful mathematical tool which is the generalization of the → Fourier series for the analysis of non-periodic functions. The Fourier transform transforms a function defined on physical space into a function defined on the space of frequencies, whose values quantify the “amount” of each periodic frequency contained in the original function. The inverse Fourier transform then reconstructs the original function from its transformed frequency components. The integral F(α) = ∫ f(u)e^-iαudu
is called the Fourier transform of
F(x) = (1/2π)∫ f(α)e^iαxdx,
both integrals from -∞ to + ∞.

See also: → Fourier analysis; → transform.