Fourier Series

The Fourier Series is a mathematical tool which is commonly used for solving many different engineering problems. In Dynamic Systems work, the Fourier Series is useful for understanding frequency characteristics of first and second order systems.

The MATLAB GUIs are available for both MATLAB 6.5 and 7.0. See the general MATLAB GUI instruction file below for more information on system requirements and how to run the GUIs. The MATLAB GUI .zip file contains a document of suggested exercises to be performed with the GUI.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view any pdf files. It can be download for free from the Adobe website.

Fourier SeriesView File
Fourier Series Tutorial
Discussion of the basic idea behind Fourier series, including an example of its use to approximate a square wave and the procedure used to determine the constants.
Fourier Series Tutorial (pdf)
LabVIEW Fourier Series GUI Project
Asks the students to develop their own LabVIEW GUI to study the Fourier series and time and frequency signals. LabVIEW notes are available.
Fourier Project (pdf)
Fourier Series MATLAB GUI
M6.5 and M7.0 open in MATLAB
Allows users to change the properties of up to 5 sine waves, sum them, and view the result in the time and frequency domain. Pre-programmed sample signals and their Fourier series representations can also be viewed.
M6.5 MATLAB GUI
M7.0 MATLAB GUI
GUI Operation OverviewGUI Operation Overview (pdf)
GUI Exercise AvailableGUI Exercise Available (pdf)
Fourier Series LabVIEW GUI
LabVIEW not needed, zip file contains set-up for stand-alone GUI
Allows the user to change the parameters (amplitude and frequency) of 5 different sine waves and view the result of their summation in both the time and frequency domain. The user can also use those waves to approximate either a square, sawtooth, or triangle wave. A low-pass and band-pass filter can also be applied to the summed signals.
LabVIEW GUI
GUI Operation OverviewGUI Operation Overview (pdf)
GUI Assignment OverviewGUI Assignment Overview (pdf)