Fourier Series: Examples

John Appleby
Contents
1 Important Facts 1
2 Exercises and Examples 2
1 Important Facts
1. Suppose f(x) is a periodic function of period 2 which can be represented
by a TRIGONOMETRIC FOURIER SERIES
f(x) = a
0
+

n=1
a
n
cos nx + b
n
sin nx.
(This means that the series above converges to f(x).)
Then the Fourier Coecients satisfy the Euler Formulae, namely:
a
0
=
1
2
_

f(x) dx
a
n
=
1

f(x) cos nxdx for n = 1, 2, . . .

b
n
=
1

f(x) sin nxdx for n = 1, 2, . . .

2. A function f is said to be even if
f(x) = f(x) for all x R
and odd if
f(x) = f(x) for all x R
Recall the product of two even functions is even, the product of two odd func-
tions is even and the product of an even and an odd function is odd. Compare
2
the multiplication of even and odd functions to the addition of even and
odd integers.
3. If f is an odd function then
_

f(x) dx = 0,
while if f is an even function, then
_

f(x) dx = 2
_

0
f(x) dx
2 Exercises and Examples
Example 1. Let f be a periodic function of period 2 such that
f(x) =
2
x
2
for x (, ).
Supposing that f has a convergent trigonometric Fourier series, show that

2
x
2
=
2
2
3
+

n=1
4
n
2
(1)
n
cos nx. (2.1)
SOLUTION: The solution can be eected in a number of separate steps:
Check whether f is even or odd.
If f is odd, all the Fourier coecients a
n
for n = 0, 1, 2 . . . are zero; if f
is even, all the Fourier coecients b
n
for n = 1, 2 . . . are zero.
Compute the remaining Fourier coecients using the Euler Formulae. It
is generally a good strategy to use Integration by Parts, successively
integrating sin nx and cos nx and dierentiating f(x).
Replace the expressions for the Fourier coecients a
n
, b
n
in
f(x) = a
0
+

n=1
a
n
cos nx + b
n
sin nx.
STEP 1: f(x) =
2
(x)
2
=
2
x
2
= f(x) so f is even.
STEP 2: Since f(x) is even and sin nx is odd, f(x) sin nx is odd and hence
b
n
=
1

f(x) cos nxdx = 0.

Calculus of Several Variables and Fourier Analysis(MS224) c John Appleby, 2001
3
STEP 3: Since f(x) is even and cos nx is even, f(x) cos nx is even, and so
_

f(x) cos nxdx = 2

_

0
f(x) cos nxdx.
Therefore,
a
n
=
1

f(x) cos nxdx =

1

2
_

0
f(x) cos nxdx =
2

_

0
(
2
x
2
) cos nx
(2.2)
As suggested above, we calculate the integral in (2.2) by Integration by Parts.
Recall the Integration by Parts formula:
_
b
a
f(x)g

(x) dx = f(x)g(x)

b
x=a

_
b
a
f

(x)g(x) dx (2.3)
Let
f(x) =
2
x
2
and g

(x) = cos nx
so
f

(x) = 2x and g(x) =

_
cos nxdx =
1
n
sin nx.
Using (2.3) and the above, we have
_

0
(
2
x
2
)
. .
f
cos nx
. .
g

dx (2.4)
= (
2
x
2
)
. .
f
1
n
sin nx
. .
g

_

0
2x
..
f

1
n
sin nx
. .
g
dx
= (
2

2
)
1
n
sin n (
2
0
2
)
1
n
sin 0 +
2
n
_

0
xsin nxdx
=
2
n
_

0
xsin nxdx. (2.5)
Now we calculate this last integral using integration by parts: let
f(x) = x and g

(x) = sin nx,

so
f

(x) = 1 and g(x) =

_
sin nxdx =
cos nx
n
.
Using (2.3), and remembering that cos n = (1)
n
, sin n = 0 for n an integer,
we have
_

0
x
..
f
sin nx
. .
g

dx = x
..
f
cos nx
n
. .
g

_

0
1
..
f

cos nx
n
. .
g
dx
=
cos n
n
0
cos 0
n
+
1
n
_

0
cos nxdx
=
1
n
(1)
n
+
1
n
sin nx
n

0
=
1
n
(1)
n
.
Calculus of Several Variables and Fourier Analysis(MS224) c John Appleby, 2001
4
Using (2.2), (2.5) and the above, we have
a
n
=
2

_

0
(
2
x
2
) cos nxdx =
2

2
n
_

0
xcos nxdx
=
2

2
n

1
n
(1)
n
=
4
n
2
(1)
n
.
It remains to calculate a
0
, which is given by
a
0
=
1
2
_

f(x) dx =
1
2
2
_

0

2
x
2
dx
=
1

2
x
x
3
3
_

0
=
1

3
3
_
=
2
3
3
where we use the fact that f(x) =
2
x
2
is even.
STEP 4: Using the formulae obtained above for the Fourier coecients, we
have

2
x
2
=
2
3
3
+

n=1
4
n
2
(1)
n
cos nx + 0. sin nx =
2
3
3
+

n=1
4
n
2
(1)
n
cos nx
Example 2. Show that the trigonometric Fourier series of f(x) = 3x for x
(, ) is given by

n=1
6
n
(1)
n
sin nx.
SOLUTION:
STEP 1: f(x) = 3. x = 3x = f(x), so f is an odd function.
STEP 2: Since f(x) is odd and cos nx is even, it follows that f(x) cos nx is
odd, so
a
n
=
1

f(x) cos nxdx =

1

.0 = 0.
Moreover, since f is odd
a
0
=
1
2
_

f(x) dx =
1
2
.0 = 0.
STEP 3: We need to calculate the Fourier coecients using the Euler Formulae.
However, noting that f(x) and sin nx are odd, and therefore that f(x) sin nx is
even we have
b
n
=
1

f(x) sin nxdx =

1

2
_

0
f(x) sin nxdx =
6

_

0
xcos nxdx. (2.6)
The latter integral is calculated using integration by parts.
Calculus of Several Variables and Fourier Analysis(MS224) c John Appleby, 2001
5
Exercise 2.1. Show that
_

0
xsin nxdx = x
cos nx
n

_

0
cos nx
n
dx =

n
(1)
n
.
By virtue of Exercise 2.1, we have, from (2.6)
b
n
=
6

n
(1)
n
=
6
n
(1)
n
.
STEP 4: The Fourier series of f(x) = 3x is given by
a
0
+

n=1
a
n
cos nx + b
n
sin nx = 0 +

n=1
0 cos nx +
6
n
(1)
n
sin nx
=

n=1

6
n
(1)
n
sin nx.
Now try the following
Exercise 2.2.
(i) Show that x
3
cos nx is an odd function and x
3
sin nx is an even function.
Hence give the value of
_

x
3
cos nxdx
and write down another expression equal to
_

x
3
sin nxdx.
(ii) By integrating by parts, show that
_

0
x
3
sin nxdx =
(1)
n

3
n
+
3
n
_

0
x
2
cos nxdx.
Hint: Recall for integer values of n that cos n = (1)
n
.
(iii) Given that
_

0
x
2
cos nxdx =
2
n
_

0
xsin nxdx
and
_

0
xsin nxdx =

n
(1)
n
,
use part (ii) to prove that
_

0
x
3
sin nxdx =
6
n
3
(1)
n

3
n
(1)
n
.
(iv) Using parts (i) and (iii), and supposing that the Fourier series converges,
show for all x (, ) that
x
3
=

n=1
2(1)
n
_
6
n
3


2
n
_
sin nx.
Calculus of Several Variables and Fourier Analysis(MS224) c John Appleby, 2001