The Fourier Transform of the Box Function

Fourier Transform Pairs

Next: The Triangle Function

On this page, the Fourier Transform for the box function, or square pulse, is given. This page is pretty much a
rehash of the page in the Fourier Transform theory section.
The box function is a square pulse, as shown in Figure 1:

Figure 1. The box function.

In Figure 1, the function g(t) has amplitude of A, and extends from t=-T/2 to t=T/2. For |t|>T/2, g(t)=0. We will
write the square pulse or box function as rect_T(t), indicating that the rectangle function is equal to 1 for a
period of T (from -T/2 to +T/2) and 0 elsewhere:

Using the definition of the Fourier Transform (Equation [1] on the intro page), the integral is evaluated:

[1]
The solution, G(f), is often written as the sinc function, which is defined as:

[Equation 2]

[While sinc(0) isn't immediately apparent, using L'Hopitals rule or whatever special powers you have, you can
show that sinc(0) = 1]
The Fourier Transform of g(t) is G(f),and is plotted in Figure 2 using the result of equation [2].

Figure 2. The sinc function is the Fourier Transform of the box function.
To learn some things about the Fourier Transform that will hold in general, consider the square pulses defined
for T=10, and T=1. These functions along with their Fourier Transforms are shown in Figures 3 and 4, for the
amplitude A=1.

Figure 3. The Box Function with T=10, and its Fourier Transform.

Figure 4. The Box Function with T=1, and its Fourier Transform.
A fundamental lesson can be learned from Figures 3 and 4. From Figure 3, note that the wider square pulse
produces a narrower, more constrained spectrum (the Fourier Transform). From Figure 4, observe that the
thinner square pulse produces a wider spectrum than in Figure 3. This fact will hold in general: rapidly changing
functions require more high frequency content (as in Figure 4). Functions that are moving more slowly in time
will have less high frequency energy (as in Figure 3).
In the next section, we'll look at the Fourier Transform of the triangle function.
The Fourier Transform of the Triangle Function

Previous: The Box Function

Fourier Transform Pairs

Next: The Gaussian

The Fourier Transform of the triangle function is derived on this page. The unit triangle function is given in Figure 1:

Figure 1. The triangle function.

Mathematically, the triangle function can be written as:

[Equation 1]

We'll give two methods of determining the Fourier Transform of the triangle function.
Method 1. Integration by Parts
We can simply substitute equation [1] into the formula for the definition of the Fourier Transform, then crank through all
the math, and then get the result. This is pretty tedious and not very fun, but here we go:

The Fourier Transform of the triangle function is the sinc function squared.
Now, you can go through and do that math yourself if you want. It's a complicated set of integration by parts, and then
factoring the complex exponential such that it can be rewritten as the sine function, and so on. It's an ugly solution, and not
fun to do. Method 2, using the convolution property, is much more elegant.
Method 2. Using the Convolution Property
The convolution property was given on the Fourier Transform properties page, and can be used to find Fourier Tranforms
of functions. In some cases, as in this one, the property simplifies things. If you've studied convolution, or you've sat down
and thought about it, or you are very clever, you may know that the triangle function is actually the convolution of the box
function with itself. That is, let's simplify box function on the previous page, g(t) such that the amplitude A=1 and T=1,
then the box function is simply:

[Equation
2]

The triangle function can be mathematically expressed as the unit box function convolved with itself:

[Equation 3]

If you recall the convolution property of Fourier Transforms, we know that the Fourier Transform of the convolution of
functions g1 and g2 is just the product of Fourier Transform of the individual functions: (G1 times G2). Since we know the
Fourier Transform of the box function is the sinc function, and the triangle function is the convolution of the box function
with the box function, then the Fourier Transform of the triangle function must be the sinc function multiplied by the sinc
function. That is:

[Equation 4]

So we arrive at the same solution as the brute-force calculus method, but we get there using a much simpler and more
intelligent method. Either way, at the end of the day the Fourier Transform of the triangle function is the sinc function
squared. This pair is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The triangle function and its Fourier Transform the sinc squared function.
The Fourier Transform of the Gaussian
Previous: The Triangle Function

Fourier Transform Pairs

Next: The Dirac-Delta Impulse

The Gaussian curve (sometimes called the normal distribution) is the familiar bell shaped curve
that arises all over mathematics, statistics, probability, engineering, physics, etc. We will look at a
simple version of the Gaussian, given by equation [1]:

[1]
The Gaussian is plotted in Figure 1:

Figure 1. The Gaussian Bell-Curve.

We will now evaluate the Fourier Transform of the Gaussian function in Figure 1. Let G(f) be the
Fourier Transform of g(t), so that:

[2]
To resolve the integral, we'll have to get clever and use some differentiation and then differential
equations. Take the derivative of both sides of equation [2] with respect to f, so that:

[3]
Now we have this set up so that we can use integration by parts. That is, let

[4]
Recall the formula for integration by parts:

[5]
The uv term in equation [5] becomes zero, because the limits are evaluated from -infinity to
+infinity, where the product is zero. Using this fact and equations [3-5], we get:

[6]
This is a first order simple differential equation for G(f). The solution for this differential equation
is given by:

[7]
All we need to do now to find G(f) is figure out what G(0) is. G(0) is simply the average value of
g(t), because if you substitute f=0 into the equation for G(f), equation [2], the complex exponential
term goes away (equation [8]). The integral in equation 8 has actually an elegant solution,
developed by Euler (the proof of which won't be given here), but the result is:

[8]
Hence, we have found the Fourier Transform of the gaussian g(t) given in equation [1]:

[9]
Equation [9] states that the Fourier Transform of the Gaussian is the Gaussian! The Fourier
Transform operation returns exactly what it started with. This is a very special result in Fourier
Transform theory.
The Fourier Transform of a scaled and shifted Gaussian can be found here.

Fourier Transform of a Scaled and Shifted Gaussian

Fourier Transform
Applications

The Fourier
Transform.com

Gaussian Fourier
Transform

On this page, we'll make use of the shifting property and the scaling property of the Fourier
Transform to obtain the Fourier Transform of the scaled Gaussian function given by:

[Equation 1]

In Equation [1], we must assume K>0 or the function g(z) won't be a Gaussian function (rather, it
will grow without bound and therefore the Fourier Transform will not exist).
To start the process of finding the Fourier Transform of [1], let's recall the fundamental Fourier
Transform pair, the Gaussian:
[Equa
tion
2]
Let's first define the function h(z):

[Equati
on 3]

Observe that we have defined the constant c=sqrt( 4*pi*K ). We can relate the function h(z) and
n(z) by the simple relation: h(z)=n(cz). Since we know the Fourier Transform of n(z) (Equation
[2]), we can use the scaling property of the Fourier Transform to get the Fourier Transform of h(z):

[Equation 4]

In Equation [4], we have assumed K (and hence c) is positive. To find G(f), the Fourier Transform
of g(z), we note that g(z) = h(z-a), and use the shift property of the Fourier Transform:

[Equation
5]

And thus, we have found the Fourier Transform of Equation [1]! Have a good day everybody.

The Dirac-Delta Function - The Impulse

Next: Complex
Prevous: The Gaussian
Fourier Pairs List
Exponential
The very useful Dirac-Delta Impulse functional has a simple Fourier Transform and derivation.
Particularly, we will look at the shifted impulse:

[1]
Using the definition of the Fourier transform, and the sifting property of the dirac-delta, the Fourier
Transform can be determined:

[2]
So, the Fourier transform of the shifted impulse is a complex exponential.
Note that if the impulse is centered at t=0, then the Fourier transform is equal to 1 (i.e. a constant). This is
a moment for reflection. The constant function, f(t)=1, is a function with no variation - there is an infinite
amount of energy, but it is all contained within the d.c. term. Since the fourier transform evaluated at f=0,
G(0), is the integral of the function. For f(t)=1, the integral is infinite, so it makes sense that the result
should be infinite at f=0. And since the function f(t) has no variation, it should have no frequency
components, so the fourier transform should be zero everywhere f does not equal 0. This last paragraph
should be understood at an intuitive level.
The Dirac-Delta Function - The Impulse
Fourier Transform Mathematics

Previous: Fourier Transform

(Home)

Previous: Intro to Complex

Math

The Dirac-Delta function, also commonly known as the impulse function, is described on this page. This
function (technically a functional) is one of the most useful in all of applied mathematics. To understand this
function, we will several alternative definitions of the impulse function, in varying degrees of rigor.
1. Dirac-Delta: The Limit of a Sequence of Functions
Consider the function, fn(t), shown described by equation [1], and plotted in Figure 1 for n=1 and n=5:

[1]

Figure 1. This is a square pulse with amplitude n and duration 1/n. (a)n=1 (b)n=5
The area, or integral of fn(t)=1 for every value of n=1,2,3,.... The larger n gets, the narrower the pulse is in time,
but the amplitude increases such that the total area is the same for all values of n. The Dirac-Delta function can
be thought of as the limit as n gets very large for the fn sequence of functions:

[2]
2. Dirac-Delta: The Derivative of the Step Function
The unit step function is defined as:

[3]
The unit step is plotted in Figure 2:

Figure 2. The unit step function.

The dirac-delta function can also be thought of as the derivative of the unit step function:

[4]
From equation [4], the dirac-delta can be thought of as being zero everywhere except where t=0, in which case
it is infinite. This is an acceptable viewpoint for the dirac-delta impulse function, but it is not very rigorous
mathematically:

[5]
3. Dirac-Delta: The Sifting Functional
Probably the most useful property of the dirac-delta, and the most rigorous mathematical defintion is given in
this section. Consider any function g(t), that is continuous (and finite) at t=0. Then the following relationship
always holds:

[6]
In [6], the integration region just needs to contain t=0, and doesn't necessarily need to go from -infinity to

+infinity. This property is extremely useful in signal processing, communication systems theory, quantum
physics, etc. This is known as the 'sifting property' of the impulse function. The more general version, assuming
g(t) is continuous and finite at g(a) is:

[7]
This property is your friend whenever an integral is involved: it makes the integration extremely simple.
Finally, as a further note on notation, the impulse (shifted to the right by 1, given in equation [8]) is plotted as
shown in Figure 3. It is graphed as a vertical arrow, since it is zero everywhere, except where t=1, when it is
more or less infinite.

[8]

Figure 3. The graph of the Dirac-Delta Impulse Function.

The Fourier Transform of the Complex Exponential
Previous: The Impulse
Next: Sinusoids - Sine and
Fourier Transform Pairs
Function
Cosine
The complex exponential function is common in applied mathematics. The basic form is written in
Equation [1]:

[1]
The complex exponential is actually a complex sinusoidal function. Recall Euler's identity:

[2]

Recall from the previous page on the dirac-delta impulse that the Fourier Transform of the shifted
impulse is the complex exponential:

[3]
If we know the above is true, then the inverse Fourier Transform of the complex exponential must
be the impulse:

[4]
What we are interested in is the Fourier Transform of the complex exponential in equation [1], or:

[5]
Using the second line of Equation [4], equation [5] can be quickly solved:

[6]
The last equal sign equation follows directly from equation [4]. Hence, the Fourier Transform of
the complex exponential given in equation [1] is the shifted impulse in the frequency domain.
This should also make intuitive sense: since the Fourier Transform decomposes a waveform into its
individual frequency components, and since g(t) is a single frequency component (see equation
[2]), then the Fourier Transform should be zero everywhere except where f=a, where it has infinite
energy.
The Fourier Transform of the Sine and Cosine Functions
Previous: The Complex
Exponential

Fourier Transform Pairs

Next: The Step and Signum

Functions

On this page, the Fourier Transforms for the sinusois sine and cosine function are determined. The result is easily obtained
using the Fourier Transform of the complex exponential.
We'll look at the cosine with frequency f=A cycles/second. This cosine function can be rewritten, thanks to Euler, using the

identity:

[Equation 1]

Along with the linearity property of the Fourier transform, the Fourier transform can be easily found:

[Equati
on 2]

The integrals from the last lines in equation [2] are easily evaluated using the results of the previous page. Equation [2]
states that the fourier transform of the cosine function of frequency A is an impulse at f=A and f=-A. That is, all the energy
of a sinusoidal function of frequency A is entirely localized at the frequencies given by |f|=A.
The Fourier Transform for the sine function can be determined just as quickly using Euler's identity for the sine function:

[Equation 3]

The result is:

[Equatio
n 4]

Note that the Fourier Transform of the real function, sin(t) has an imaginary Fourier Transform (no real part). This is
characteristic of odd functions.
The Step Function and the Signum Function

Previous: Sinusoids

Fourier Transform Table

Next: Decaying Exponential

On this page, we'll look at the Fourier Transform for some useful functions, the step function, u(t),
and the signum function, sgn(t). The function u(t) is defined mathematically in equation [1], and
the signum function is defined in equation [2]:

[Equation 1]

[Equation 2]

The signum function is also known as the "sign" function, because if t is positive, the signum
function is +1; if t is negative, the signum function is -1. The unit step function "steps" up from 0
to 1 at t=0.
The unit step (on the left) and the signum function multiplied by 0.5 are plotted in Figure 1:

Figure 1. The Step Function u(t) [left] and 0.5*sgn(t) [right].

The reason we plot one half of the signum function in Figure 1, is that we can see that the unit
step function and the signum function are the same, just offset by 0.5 from each other in
amplitude.

For the functions in Figure 1, note that they have the same derivative, which is the dirac-delta
impulse:

[3]
To obtain the Fourier Transform for the signum function, we will use the results of equation [3],
the integration property of Fourier Transforms, and the the fourier transform of the impulse. The
integral of the signum function is zero:

[5]
The Fourier Transform of the signum function can be easily found:

[6]
The average value of the unit step function is not zero, so the integration property is slightly
more difficult to apply. Note that the following equation is true:

[7]
Hence, the d.c. term is c=0.5, and we can apply the integration property of the Fourier
Transform, which gives us the end result:

[8]
The integration property makes the Fourier Transforms of these functions simple to obtain,
because we know the Fourier Transform of their derivatives.
1- and 2-Sided Decaying Exponential
Previous: Step Function

Fourier Pairs List

Next: Shah Function

The decaying exponential function arises often in engineering and physical analysis of systems, in
which the magnitude of a function dies off over time. Examples include the voltage across a
capacitor as a function of time when a resistor is present, and from information theory, the
expected amount of money you have left after optimal gambling in a casino with non-favorable
odds.
Right-Sided Decaying Exponentials
The one-sided (or right-sided) decaying exponential is given in Equation [1], and plotted in Figure
1.

[1]

Figure 1. Plot of Equation [1], the right-sided decaying exponential, for |a|=1.
Note that in Equation [1], and throughout this page, we use |a|, because this parameter must be
positive, or the Fourier Transform will diverge (and therefore not exist). The Fourier Transform for
the right-sided exponential can be found from the Fourier Transform definition:

[2]
Left-Sided Decaying Exponentials
The left-sided decaying exponential is described by equation [3] and is plotted in Figure 2:

[3]

Figure 2. Plot of Equation [3], the left-sided decaying exponential, for |a|=1.
The Fourier Transform for the left-sided decaying exponential can be found exactly as done for the
right-sided in equation [2], giving:

[4]
Two-Sided Decaying Exponentials
The two-sided decaying exponential is given in equation [5], and plotted in Figure 3:

[5]

Figure 3. Plot of Equation [5], the two-sided decaying exponential, for |a|=1.
Note that k(t) = f(t) + g(t). Hence, the Fourier Transform can be easily found with the linearity
property:

[6]
That wraps up the study of the decaying exponential. Give yourselves a round of applause.

Next: The Shah Function

Previous: Step Function
Fourier Transform Pairs
The Fourier Transform (Home)

######-->
The Shah Function
Previous: Decaying Exponential

Table of Fourier Transforms

Next: Truncated Cosine

This is going to be a fun page. We'll introduce the Shah Function, which is also known as the "bed
of nails". We'll then derive the Fourier Transform for this function, which gives a surprising result.
The Shah Function
The Shah Function is defined as a train of impulses, equally spaced in time:

[1]
In equation [1], the period T is 1. The function of eq [1] is plotted in Figure 1:

Figure 1. Plot of Shah Function of Period T=1.

The Shah Function is regularly used in the mathematics of digital signal processing (DSP). The
function is used in the proof of the Sampling Theorem; notice that the Shah Function multiplied by
any function g(t) would only depend on g(t) at the locations of the impulses in the Shah Function hence, g(t) is "sampled".
The Fourier Series of the Shah Function
To determine the Fourier Transform of the Shah Function III(t), it is helpful to first find the Fourier
Series of III(t). You'll see why in the next section. Since the Shah Function is periodic, it can be
represented via a Fourier Series:

[2]
Hence, we can find the complex Fourier Series coefficients, setting T=1 (note that the integration
is from t=-0.5 to +0.5 - we can integrate over any period of the function to calculate the
coefficients, and in this case it makes more sense to do it this way than from t=0 to +1):

[3]
In equation [3], note that the Shah Function reduces from an infinite sum to a simple impulse,
because the only impulse that is within the integration region (t=-0.5 to +0.5) is the impulse at t=0.
Also, note that the final step used the sifting property.
Equation [3] states that the Fourier Series of the Shah Function has complex coefficients c_n that
are equal to 1, for all n. This is a very neat property. Hence, we can rewrite the Shah Function,
using the Fourier Series representation, in equation [4]:

[4]
The Fourier Transform of the Shah Function
Now that we have the Fourier Series representation of the Shah Function in eq [4], the derivation
for the Fourier Transform is fairly straightforward. We simply make use of the change of
summation and integration property, and we're done:

[5]
The integral at the end of the derivation in equation [5] is found using the same math as on the
complex exponential page. Hence, we have a very surprising result:
The Fourier Transform of the Shah Function is the Shah Function.

Most people who know Fourier Transforms know that the Gaussian Function has itself as its own
Fourier Transform. But most don't know that the Shah Function also possesses this property.
Which makes it even more awesome of a function.
Finally, we presents the Fourier Transform of the Shah Function for when the period is not T=1,
but rather for an arbitrary (positive) T:

[6]
Hence, if the Shah Function is sampled "slower" (that is, T>1), then the Fourier Transform has
impulses that occur more often (that is, at a frequency 1/T), and scaled by the factor 1/T.
The Truncated Cosine
Previous: Fourier Transform of
Shah Function

Table of Fourier Pairs

Next: Right-Sided Sinusoids

This page will seek the Fourier Transform of the truncated cosine, which is given in Equation [1] and plotted in Figure 1.
This function is a cosine function that is windowed - that is, it is multiplied by the box or rect function.

[Equation 1]

Figure 1. The Truncated Cosine given by Equation [1], for W=2.

Let's find the Fourier Transform of this function. To start, we can rewrite the function g(t) as the product of two other
functions:

[Equation 2]

To start, we can find the Fourier Transform of h(t) by recalling the Fourier Transform of the Cosine Function, we can
determine H(f):

[Equation 3]

The Fourier Transform of the Box Function can be recalled, to determine K(f):

[Equation 4]

Now, the Fourier Transform of the multiplication of two function can be found by convolving their individual Fourier
Transforms. This is simply the modulation property of the Fourier Transform:

[Equation 5]

The convolution of H(f) and K(f) might seem difficult, but recall the property of the dirac-delta impulse function:
[Equation 6]
Equation [6] is valid for all functions f(t), which will make Equation [5] simple to evaluate:

Now it's just algebra time. The last line can be rewritten as:

To further simplify the above, recall the trigonometric identities:

[Equation 7]

Hence, Term 1 = 0, and Term 2 can be simplified. The result is:

[Equation 8]

And there you have the result. The Fourier Transform G(f) is plotted in Figure 2:

Figure 2. The Fourier Transform of the Truncated Cosine for W=2

Fin.

Next: Right-Sided Sinusoids

Previous: The Shah Function
Fourier Pairs List
The Fourier Transform (Home)
This page on the Fourier Transform of the truncated cosine is copyrighted. No portion can be reproduced except by
permission from the author. Copyright thefouriertransform.com, 2010-2011.
The Fourier Transform of the
Right-Sided Sine and Cosine Functions
Previous: The Truncated Cosine

Fourier Transform Pairs

Next: Complex Gaussian

The Right-Sided Cosine Function

The right-sided cosine function is just the regular cosine function, multiplied by the unit step function. That is, it is zero for
t<0 and a cosine for positive t. The equation for the right-sided cosine is given in [1]:

[Equation 1]

This function is plotted in Figure 1 for A=2:

Figure 1. Plot of Right-Sided Cosine Function for A=2.

The Fourier Transform can be found by noting the Fourier Transforms of the unit step and the
cosine:

[Equation 2]

[Equation
3]

Using Equations [2] and [3] along with the modulation property of Fourier Transforms, we obtain
the result:

[Eq
4]

The plot of the magnitude of the Fourier Transform of Equation [1] is given in Figure 2. Note that
the vertical arrows represent dirac-delta functions.

Figure 2. Plot of Absolute Value of Fourier Transform of Right-Sided Cosine Function.

The Right-Sided Sine Function
The right-sided Sine function can be obtained in the same way. This function is mathematically
written in Equation [5]:

[Equation 5]

The plot of the right-sided Sine Function is given in Figure 3 for A=2:

Figure 3. Plot of Step Function times the Sine Function for A=2.
Recall the Fourier Transform of the Sine Function:

[Equation
6]

And we can procede exactly as before to obtain the final result:

[Eq
7]

Equation 7 gives the Fourier Transform of the right-sided sine function. The absolute value of this
function is plotted in Figure 4:

Figure 4. Plot of the Absolute Value of The Right-Sided Sine Function.

The Fourier Transform of the Complex Gaussian

Previous: Right-Sided Sinusoids

Fourier Transform Pairs

Next: Quadratic Sinusoids

The Complex Gaussian

The complex Gaussian is a Gaussian Function with a imaginary argument. It is also can be viewed as a
sinusoid with a phase that increases quadratically with time. This function arises in the study of optics. The
function is given in Equation [1], where k is a positive real constant:

[Equation 1]

To find the Fourier Transform of the Complex Gaussian, we will make use of the Fourier Transform of the
Gaussian Function, along with the scaling property of the Fourier Transform.
To start, let's rewrite the complex Gaussian h(t) in terms of the ordinary Gaussian function g(t):

[Equation 2]

Now, we'd like to use the scaling property of the Fourier Transform directly, but note that the following

equation only holds for c being real-valued (not a complex constant, as we are using in Equation [2]):

[Equation 3]

The magnitude sign in Equation [3] arises because if c is real and negative, the integration limits will flip
and the 1/c becomes -1/c (see Scaling Proof for Fourier Transforms. Hence, the generalization of Equation
[3] to complex numbers is not valid.
However, we are a little bit lucky in this case. The Gaussian Function of Equation [1] is well-defined when
the argument becomes complex - that is, the complex exponential is well understood. This isn't the case in
general - for instance, what is u(it) - the step function evaluated at a complex argument? There is no simple
or consistent way to define it.
In this case, we have the constant c being given by:

[Equation 4]

I apologize for the lack of rigor on this next statement, but basically we need the real and imaginary parts
of the scaling constant c to be positive in order to avoid any additional minus signs that will show up in
Equation [3]. This is because if the real and imaginary parts of c are positive, we won't need to do a sign
change in the integration limits. Assuming k is positive, the resulting Fourier Transform follows since we
know G(f), the Fourier Transform of the Gaussian already:

[Equation
5]

If on the other hand, k is negative, then the constant c in Equation [4] will will be given by:

[Equation 6]

Hence, k has a negative real part and a positive imaginary part. By multiplying the constant c in Equation
[6] by -i, we can force c to have a positive real and imaginary part. Hence, we can find the Fourier
Transform of the complex Gaussian for the negative k case:

[Equation
7]

Hence, the general solution for the Fourier Transform is:

[Equation 8]

Note that if k=0, then the complex Gaussian is simply a constant, so the Fourier Transform will be the
dirac-delta functional.
The Fourier Transform of the Quadratic Sinusoids
Previous: Complex Gaussian

Fourier Transform Pairs

Next:

The Quadratic Cosine Function

Are you interested in the sinusoidal functions with a quadratically varying phase? This is the right
page. The function is a cosine or sine function with an argument of t-squared instead of t. The

cosine version is given in Equation [1], and plotted in Figure 1 below:

[Equation 1]

Figure 1. Plot of Quadratic-Cosine for k=1.

The Fourier Transform for the cos(t^2) function can be found fairly easily using the Fourier
Transform for the Complex Gaussian. We begin by rewriting the cosine function using Euler's
formula:

[Equation 2]

Assume k is positive. If k is negative, the result will still be the same, which you can work through
[note that the cos(-x)=cos(x)]. If k is zero, then we have a constant and not a quadratically-varying
sinusoid. The Fourier Transform can be found since we know the Fourier Transform of the
complex Gaussian. The terms in Equation [2] can have the Fourier Transform taken:

[Equation 3]

The other term in Equation [2] can be found by using the Fourier Transform of the Complex
Gaussian for the case of a negative real constant, simply by manipulating the signs:

[Equation
4]

The end result can then be obtained:

[Equatio
n 5]

If k is negative, the Fourier Transform should not change, because cos(kt^2) is an even function.
Hence, the general result is:

[Equation 6]

This function is plotted in Figure 2:

Figure 2. Plot of Fourier Transform of Quadratic-Cosine [Eq 6] for k=1.

The Quadratic Sine Function
The quadratic sine function is given in Equation [7], and plotted in Figure 3:
[Equation 7]

Figure 3. Plot of Quadratic-Sine for k=1.

The Fourier Transform of this function can be found using the same technique. That is re-writing
the sine function as:

[Equation 8]

For positive k, we can work through the above math as before and get the result:

[Equatio
n 9]

To get the general result (including negative k values), recall that

sin(-t)=-sin(t). The end result:

[Equatio
n 10]

Equation [10] is plotted in Figure 4 for k=1:

Fourier Transform Pairs
Home: The Fourier Transform .com

This section gives a list of Fourier Transform pairs. That is, we present several functions and
there corresponding Fourier Transforms. The derivation can be found by selecting the image or the
text below. For convenience, we use both common definitions of the Fourier Transform, using the

(standard for this website) variable f, and the also used "angular frequency" variable
.

Table of Fourier Transforms

g(t)

Square Pulse
(Box Function)

Triangle
Function

The Gaussian

Constant

The Dirac-Delta
Impulse

Cosine

Sine

Step Function

Signum
Function

Right-Sided
Decaying
Exponential

Left-Sided
Decaying
Exponential

Two-Sided
Decaying
Exponential

g(t)

Shah
Function
(Bed of
Nails)

Truncated
Cosine

Right-Sided
Cosine

Right-Sided
Sine

Complex
Gaussian
k>0

Quadratic
Cosine

k>0

Quadratic
Sine
k>0

Figure 4. Plot of Fourier Transform of Quadratic Sine (Eq [10]) for k=1.

k>0