If there's a mathematical idea that applies itself to almost everything in everyday life but is almost unknown outside the scientific world, the Fourier transform has to be the most unsung contender.

Over at Quanta Magazine [Shalma Wegsman] asks What Is the Fourier Transform? [Shalma] begins by telling you a little about Joseph Fourier, the French mathematician with an interest in heat propagation ...

Joseph Fourier, born just 250 years ago, introduced a wonderful idea that revolutionised science and mathematics: any function or signal can be broken down into simple periodic sine-waves. Radio waves ...