Transcript

Last time on: “How the Fourier Transform Works”:

Come with me as we journey, “Into the Infinite”; and we see how Derichlet turned “Fourier Series” into the “Fourier Transform”.

…of course, this is the bit that you didn’t see at the end of the lecture, the bit where I run out of green screen!! Green screen isn’t the only thing I’m a little short of. These lectures are a labor of love and I wish I was working on them full time, however…

Lavi: Daddy, I’m hungry!

Shalev: Also me!

Aviel: Daddy, can you help me with my maths?

Mark: I’m coming in a second kids, OK? Bye.

As you can see, filming online courses is not the only thing I’m doing in life.

As parents, we can’t just focus on our work, there are meals to make and with 3 cute little mouths to feed, I sometimes wish there was more than one of me, perhaps then, I might actually get everything done.

If there is one thing I’m determined about with my courses, it’s that I want the videos to be unlike anything that is currently available. Mathematical concepts are so often explained by a lecturer standing in front of a whiteboard writing lots of formulae. That’s fine if you understand the language of mathematics, but what if, like me, you need a more visual explanation of the concepts?

Hence, the style of these videos and all the work with animations, virtual environments and green screen. I absolutely love the work, but these lectures take ages to script, film and edit, especially as I’m working on my own and then of course there’s the day job, which actually pays the bills.

[Telepone ringing]

Hi… yeh… yeh I know. I should have the circuit working by the end of the day. Yeh… great… ok… bye.

I’m an electronics engineer by profession, which is how we pay the bills, and this is where the idea for a course on “How the Fourier Transform Works” came from. I learned about The Fourier Transform while I was at university, but it was only after I had been working with it for a few years as qualified engineer, that I actually properly began to understand how it works. This is where most of my daytime hours are spent, trying to earn enough money to support the family.

[Circuit burns out and Mark groans]

[Mobile phone rings]

Wife: Hi…

Mark: Hi darling…

Wife: What time do you think you’ll be home tonight? I’ve got a really good film for us to watch.

Mark: I don’t know what time I’ll be home, I’ve got this deadline at work and I also really need to work on my course tonight. I’ve got to finish lecture 6 before Lavi turns 5, he was 2 when I filmed him hiding my slippers at the beginning of the video. Sorry darling!

So the only proper time get to work on the course is late at night after everyone else has gone to bed. At least then I can work uninterrupted. The only thing is, by the time I finish for the night it’s about 3 in the morning.

This is where I need your help. In order to speed up production on the course, I need the ability to work during the day and worry less about having to go out to work to support the family.

There’s so much more to come. We’ll take a look at how the Fourier Series became the Fourier Transform and how we cope with the “infinities” inherent in the formula. We’ll look at the different forms of the Fourier Transform, take a little foray into the world of digital signals and windowing, and end up with a detailed look at how the Fast Fourier Transform works.

If you’d like to see what I have planned for the rest of the course then take a look at my research notes on course the blog at https://howthefouriertransformworks.com/blog.

Please help me complete the production of the course by supporting me on Patreon. Depending on how much you pledge, you can get discounts off the full course, a look behind the scenes at the making of these videos, or even early access to each lecture as it’s completed as well as some other surprises along the way. Whatever you feel you can give will help me devote more time to the production of the course and you’ll be able to see it sooner.

So join me, and become a part of this new and visual look at the maths behind the magic of the Fourier Transform.

Thank you for your support.