Re: The Fourier transform in nature not just time<>frequency domain

On 7 Mar, 14:34, makol...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Mar 7, 4:13 am, Rune Allnor <all...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:





On 7 Mar, 00:58, "Alun" <no.spam.thank....@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Rune Allnor" <all...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:9ab6ef27-b5fc-4f4a-8af7-1abe088fcf47@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 6 Mar, 18:37, makol...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

I was enlightened to read here the other day that the Fourier
Transform also describes the relationship in electromagnetics
between the current distribution and the far field radiation
pattern.

!The next obvious step on your path to Nirvana (or the
!looney bin, whichever is closer) is to investigate why[*]
!2+2=4 in such diverse fields as
!
!- Maths
!- Physics
!- Economy
!- Medicine
!- and so on.
!
!In fact, it't hard to come up with a single case
!where 2+2=/=4. Now, *that's* food for tought.
!Preferably somebody else's, but still.

It is a great pity when those who would be the pundits of
this NG seek personal satisfaction by pooh-poohing
the expressed sense of academic excitement of a newbie.

Such excitement is to be encouraged and nurtured.

I could agree with you in principle, but the timing is
wrong. I would assume one is at least a couple of years
into college or university levels before one gets to
know the FT; let's assume students to be of age at
least 20.

By that time, it ought to be clear to students that
mathemathichs is a universal too which does not depend
on context. Problem formulations and boundary conditions
vary, but maths doesn't.

The fact that the OP apparently realizes this general
validity of maths in the context of the FT - which means
he has some 15 years of previos exposure to maths - is
a sign that there is something seriously missing with
his insights into the basic tools of engineering.

Rune- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi Rune,

YEP I'm an engineer and your estimate of my experience is off by a
factor of 2, (I'll leave it to you to wonder which way).

You're a wonder kid? Switch schools. The sooner the better.

But no I'm not a mathematician.... to me,  math is a useful but
sometimes cumbersome tool to describe what happens in nature...

That doesn't excuse you from learning how to use it.

I found it interesting that the natural behavior of EM fields  mimics
the natural behavior of waveforms in the frequency and time domain...

Could the fact that EM fields actually *are* waves that can
be analyzed in both time and frequency domains, have anything
to do with this shocking insight...?

I'm sorry if this was obvious to everyone else here.  Interestingly,
there are only a few other pairings mentioned so far...  come on there
must be more,   maybe it's not so obvious after all...

Right. Because *you* don't see the solution, none exists...
A one-way ticket to the looney bin, if there ever was one.

There is a Norwedian proverb that "one can't see the forest
through the trees". Which is what you are up against:
Everything is out there in front of your eyse, but you
don't recognize it for what it is.

The (generalized) Fourier transform is a standard tool for
solving linear Differential Equations, which in turn are
the backbone tools of mathematical physics. You'd know
that if you paid attention in maths class.

Your earth-shattering revelation that the FT can be used
to describe several types of waves are caused by the
fact - prepare yourself for a surprise - that they solve
wave equations of the same form. Again, mathematics is
generally useful and does not depend on context.

So for your remaining time in High School and throughout
college, pay attention when the teachers talk about abstract
concepts. The concepts are abstracted because they apply
generally, not only in specific contexts. It'a a part of
the engineering training to be able to distill any given
problem into its abstract form, and then find whatever
standard solution for this abstract core problem.
And vice versa. You have to know a set of standard problems
and their solutions, so you have a standard 'language' which
you can use to express problems so you don't have to derive
e.g. the FT from scratch in every context where you
encounter it.

Rune
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The Fourier transform in nature not just time<>frequency domain
    ... Transform also describes the relationship in electromagnetics ... vary, but maths doesn't. ... validity of maths in the context of the FT - which means ... his insights into the basic tools of engineering. ...
    (comp.dsp)
  • Re: The Fourier transform in nature not just time<>frequency domain
    ... Transform also describes the relationship in electromagnetics ... vary, but maths doesn't. ... validity of maths in the context of the FT - which means ... his insights into the basic tools of engineering. ...
    (comp.dsp)
  • Re: The Fourier transform in nature not just time<>frequency domain
    ... between the current distribution and the far field radiation ... vary, but maths doesn't. ... validity of maths in the context of the FT - which means ... standard solution for this abstract core problem. ...
    (comp.dsp)
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