|
|
In 1807, the French mathematician Joseph Fourier (1768-1830) submitted a paper to the Academy of Sciences in Paris. In it he presented a mathematical description of problems involving heat conduction. Although the paper was at first rejected, it contained ideas that would develop into an important area of mathematics named in honor, Fourier analysis. One surprising ramification of Fourier's work was that many familiar functions can be expanded in infinite series and integrals involving trigonometric functions. The idea today is important in modeling many phenomena in physics and engineering.