Fourier Analysis [Paperback]

T. W. Körner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 1989 | ISBN-10: 0521389917 | ISBN-13: 978-0521389914

The author has provided a shop window for some of the ideas, techniques and elegant results of Fourier analysis, and for their applications. These range from number theory, numerical analysis, control theory and statistics, to earth science, astronomy, and electrical engineering. Each application is placed in perspective with a short essay. The prerequisites are few (the reader with knowledge of second or third year undergraduate mathematics should have no difficulty following the text), and the style is lively and entertaining.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an extraordinary and very attractive book...I would like to see the book on the desk of every pure mathematician with an interest in analysis, and of every teacher of applied mathematics whose work involves analysis."
SIAM Review

"This book is a delight because of the author's informal style (even the index is fun to read), his wide knowledge and skillful exposition, and his insights into many different topics (which come from problems in the real world)."
The UMAP Journal

"...deserves to be widely read...experts will read it for enjoyment, non-experts for instruction..."
D.L. Salinger, London Math Society

"A stimulating survey of the ideas, techniques, and elegant results to be obtained from Fourier analysis...will be welcomed by all who want more than a basic account of the subject."
Sci-Tech Book News

"This book is that rare delight: a serious mathematical book that is thoroughly enjoyable throughout: one can read it almost as easily as a novel and it is diffucult to put down--one is continually tempted to find out 'what happens next'...the book is accessible to a good second-year undergraduate with a taste for analysis. Anyone who wants to find out what Fourier analysis can do would enjoy looking into it."
The Mathematical Gazette

"...a very attractive book which certainly merits its place beside the vast amount of literature on Fourier theory that already exists...it is certainly worthwhile trying to persuade your library to buy it."
M. Zwaan, Acta Applicandae Mathematicae

"This is a wonderful book. More than anything, this is just fun to read, to browse, to study. Fourier Analysis is literate, lively, and a true classic. I highly recommend it."
Bill Satzer, MAA Reviews

Book Description

Ranging from number theory, numerical analysis, control theory and statistics, to earth science, astronomy and electrical engineering, the techniques and results of Fourier analysis and applications are displayed in perspective.

Product Details

• Paperback: 591 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 24, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521389917
• ISBN-13: 978-0521389914
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #531,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, May 29, 2000

By 

David Benson "dave_benson" (Aberdeen) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fourier Analysis (Paperback)

This book makes great reading. There is a fair amount of (well written) high level mathematics, but also a number of sections of a more historical or narrative nature, and a wonderful sense of humor pervades the work. The account of the laying of the transatlantic cable in the nineteenth century and the technical problems associated with it is priceless. Several sections are devoted to the life of Fourier. There is also a companion volume entitled ``Exercises for Fourier analysis''.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book for non-specialist, July 3, 1998

By 

Richard Grant "[e-mail]" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fourier Analysis (Paperback)

I am a physician though I was a math grad student at MIT for 5 years a long time ago. I found this a wonderful book for reading and working though in spare time. I used to think of Fourier Series as engineering stuff so I was surprized to find Dedekind's theorem on primes in arithmetic progressions and Weyl's on the distribution of integral multiples of an irrational modulo 1. Korner succeeded in giving me an entirely new outlook on harmonic analysis as well as some new perspectives on surprizing, incident areas of math.

In addition, he is a fine writer. I would put him up with Halmos in quality though a very different style.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful panorama, but unhelpful in some respects, March 31, 2005

By 

Viktor Blasjo - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fourier Analysis (Paperback)

This book is valuable for its emphasis on interesting applications. The treatment of the mathematical basics of Fourier analysis is too hasty to be of much value as a first text, but this is only to leave room for the many beautiful applications. To set the tone, Weyl's equidistribution theorem appears on page 11 (sic). Later we see the classical problems of 19th century physics, but also little samples of Brownian motion, Monte Carlo methods, cryptography and other modern things. When Korner feels like it, he includes historical remarks and anecdotes that are pleasantly told. I wish this cosy atmosphere could also have been upheld in the mathematical details. Unfortunately, when it comes to the proofs, Korner seems to have a bit of a macho attitude towards long calculations. A few words of explanation here and there would probably be of great help when one is lost in page after page of technical lemmas consisting of nothing but formulas and curious integral approximations.