Math 354 Fall 2007

Practice Mid Term Exam Questions

1. (a) For what kinds of functions do we define Fourier coefficients?

(b) Define fb(n).
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(c) Show that |fb(n)| ≤ 0 |f (x)| dx for all n.

2. State De Moivre’s formula.

3. Suppose that f has period 1, and that f (x) = sin πx for 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.

(a) Sketch a graph of f , say for −2 ≤ x ≤ 2.
(b) Compute the Fourier coefficients of f .
(c) Give reasons why this Fourier Series converges to f (x) for all x.
(d) By taking x = 0, give the evaluation of a series.

4. Suppose that f is a real-valued function with period 1 such that fb(n) = fb(−n) for all
n. Show that fb(n) is real for all n.

5. Find all complex numbers z such that ez = 1 + i.

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6. Suppose that f has period 1, that 0 |f (x)| dx < ∞, and that F is an anti-derivative
of f .
(a) Under what condition does F have period 1?
(b) When this condition is met, how are the Fourier coefficients of F related to those of f ?
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7. Suppose that f and g have period 1, and that 0 |f (x)| dx < ∞, 0 |g(x)| dx < ∞.
(a) Deifne f ∗ g.
How are the Fourier coefficients of f ∗ g related to those of f and g?

8. (a) Define the Dirichlet kernel DN (x).

(b) Give a closed-form formula for DN (x).
(c) In the graph of DN (x), it may be noted that DN does not become nearly as negative
as it is positive. Give a formula for maxx DN (x).
(d) Find a positive constant c such that

min DN (x) ∼ −c max DN (x) .

x x

9. In the context of Gibbs’ phenomenon, we recall that

XN Z x
1 sin 2πnx 1
−x= + − DN (u) du .
2 n=1
πn 2 0

We note that the first overshoot is followed by an undershoot. How large (asymptotically)
is sN (x) at the bottom of this undershoot?

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Math 354 Practice Mid Term Exam Questions Fall 2007
P
10. (a) Define what it means to say that
P an = c (C).
(b) Define what it means to say that an = c (A).
(c) Indicate all true implications between the following three statements:
P P
(i) an = c (ii) an = c (C)
P
(iii) an = c (A)

11. Let V be an inner product space over C.

(a) Show that if u and v are two vectors of V , then

ku + vk2 = kuk2 + 2<hu, vi + kvk2 .

(b) Show that

ku + vk2 + ku − vk2 = 2kuk2 + 2kvk2 .

12. (a) State Parseval’s Identity.

(b) For what functions does Parseval’s Identity hold?
(c) State the Extended Parseval Identity.
(d) Apply Parseval’s Identity to the Fourier Series computed in #3 to obtain the value of
an infinite series.

13. Suppose that f has period 1. Put

Z 1
kf k1 = |f (x)| dx, kf k∞ = max |f (x)|
0 x

and X
kfbk1 = |fb(n)|, kfbk∞ = max |fb(n)| .
n
n

(a) Show that

kfbk∞ ≤ kf k1 .
(b) Assume that f is continuous. Show that

kf k∞ ≤ kfbk1 .

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14. (a) Let p be a real number, p > 0. Evaluate δ x−p dx.
(b) Let δ → 0+ in the above. For what values of p is the limit finite? Infinite?
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(c) Give an example of a function defined on [0, 1] such that 0 |f (x)| dx < ∞ but
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0
|f (x)|2 dx = ∞.