Howtosignalprocessing
- What does the imaginary part of a Fourier transform mean?
- Can Fourier transform be imaginary?
- Why does the Fourier transform have imaginary numbers?
- What is an imaginary signal?
What does the imaginary part of a Fourier transform mean?
If you consider the input as current, the transfer function or Fourier transform as impedance then the output is potential. If Fourier transform is impedance, then the real part of FT is resistive part of the impedance and imaginary part is the reactive part of the impedance.
Can Fourier transform be imaginary?
The second piece that should jump out is that the Fourier transform of the sine function is completely imaginary, while the cosine function only has real parts.
Why does the Fourier transform have imaginary numbers?
Since Fourier Transforms are used to analyze real-world signals, why is it useful to have complex (or imaginary) numbers involved at all? It turns out the complex form of the equations makes things a lot simpler and more elegant. As such, everyone uses complex numbers, from physicists, to engineers, and mathematicians.
What is an imaginary signal?
Imaginary denotes a signal component that is in quadrature with (i.e. has a 90° phase shift from) the same reference signal. The reference signal can come from a local oscillator. (In DSP or SDR equipment the local oscillator might be a mathematical representation of one, rather than an analog circuit.)
