Solutions to homework # 3.

1. Find the cosine expansion for x2 on [0, ].

Solution. For n = 0, we get
2 2
2Z 2
a0 =
x dx =
.
0
3
For n 1, we integrate by parts and get
an

2
2Z 2
x cos nxdx =
=
0

Thus,

x2 sin nx 2x cos nx 2 sin nx

+

n
n2
n3

!

4(1)n

 =
.

n2
0

2 X
4(1)n
a0 X
+
an cos nx =
+
x =
cos nx.
2
3
n2
n=1
n=1
2

This series converges to x2 on [, ] since x2 is an even function.

2. Find the sine expansion for x2 on [0, ].
Solution. Using integration by parts, we get
bn

!
2
x2 cos nx 2x sin nx 2 cos nx 
2Z 2
x sin nxdx =

+
+

=

0

n
n2
n3
0

2
=

(1)n+1 2 2(1)n
2
+
3 .
3
n
n
n
!

Notice that the last two summands cancel each other for even terms. Hence

X
X
8
2(1)n+1
sin nx
sin(2n 1)x.
x2 =
3
n
n=1 (2n 1)
n=1
This series converges to x2 on the interval [, 0].
3. Find the Fourier series for | sin x| on [, ].
Solution. Since the function |sinx| is even, it is represented by a cosine series. We get
a0 =
an =
=
Note that that

2Z
4
sin xdx = ,
0



2Z
2
n2
1
1

sin x cos nxdx = 2
sin x sin nx + 2 cos x cos nx 

0
n 1 n
n
0
n+1
2 (1)
1

.
2

n 1
an = 0 for all odd values of n. So,
4
| sin x| =

1 X
cos 2nx

.
2 n=1 4n2 1

4. Using Fourier series series, prove that

1
2
.
=
2
8
n=0 (2n + 1)

(1)

Solution 1. Recall that the cosine series for |x| is

|x| =

4
X

cos(2n + 1)x on [, ].
2 n=0 (2n + 1)2

Since |x| is continuous on [, ], this series converges to the value of this function at x = 0,
i.e., its value at 0 must be 0. This means

4
=
,
2 n=0 (2n + 1)2

so

1
2
.
=
2
8
n=0 (2n + 1)

Solution 2. Consider the function 1 on [0, ] and its odd extension to [, ]. The resulting
function f has a sine expansion, namely
f (x) =

4
sin(2n + 1)x.
n=1 (2n + 1)

By Parsevals theorem,

1X
1 Z
16
|f (x)|2 dx =
1=
,
2
2
2 n=0 (2n + 1)2

which gives (1).

5. The Fourier series of an odd function consists of sine terms only. What additional
condition on f implies that its sine coefficients with even indices vanish?
Solution. We must have 0 f (x) sin(2jx) dx = 0 for all j IN. Since sin 2jx is antisymmetric
around the point x = /2, it will be sufficient that f be symmetric around the point x = /2,
i.e., that (the 2-periodic extension of) f satisfy f (x) = f ( x) for all x. Then
R

f (x) sin(2jx) dx =

/2

f (x) sin(2jx) dx +

Z
0

/2

f (x) sin(2jx) dx

f (x) sin(2jx) dx

/2

/2

f (x) sin(2jx) dx = 0.

Examples of such functions are any sin(2n + 1)x for n IN, the square wave from the 2nd
solution to Problem 4, and the piecewise linear wave from class.