In mathematics, Fourier analysis is a subject area which grew from the study of Fourier series

Fourier series

In mathematics, a Fourier series decomposes periodic functions or periodic signals into the sum of a set of simple oscillating functions, namely sines and cosines...

. The subject began with the study of the way general function

Function (mathematics)

In mathematics, a function associates one quantity, the argument of the function, also known as the input, with another quantity, the value of the function, also known as the output. A function assigns exactly one output to each input. The argument and the value may be real numbers, but they can...

s may be represented by sums of simpler trigonometric functions. Fourier analysis is named after Joseph Fourier

Joseph Fourier

Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier was a French mathematician and physicist best known for initiating the investigation of Fourier series and their applications to problems of heat transfer and vibrations. The Fourier transform and Fourier's Law are also named in his honour...

, who showed that representing a function by a trigonometric series greatly simplifies the study of heat propagation.

Today, the subject of Fourier analysis encompasses a vast spectrum of mathematics.