[sdiy] OT ( was Re: Waveform analysis into non-sine components)

[Needham, Alan]

| From: Scott Gravenhorst
| 
| Karl Ekdahl <elektrodwarf at yahoo.se> wrote:
| >I fully agree with Tom, i suck at maths and remember nothing past
| >derivatives, much because it was never explained to me in a good
| >way. If anyone has an online source for learning the basic
| >"grammar" of math that actually explains it in human relatable
| >terms i'd love to read it.
| >
| [...]
| 
| +1 here.  <snip>
| but I had an experience similar to Karl's doing much of my "real" math
| learning on my own.

My story is more of the same.

As a teenager, having built my first synth (PE Minisonic), I figured I
could create any waveform given enough square waves a long time before
hearing of Walsh. My math teacher had no idea what I was trying to
describe and simply dismissed me as a time waster.

I got an 'O' level math at school (a basic UK qualification that says
you can add two numbers), but achieving this surprised me as much as my
teacher.

Two decades later I did a University math foundation course, spurred on
mostly by self-learning having improved my math confidence.
I still can't grasp Fourier, I know what it means and can visualise
subtractive and additive synthesis, but given the explanation :-

 # In the case of the radix-2 Cooley-Tukey algorithm, the
 # butterfly is simply a DFT of size-2 that takes two inputs 
 # (x0, x1) (corresponding outputs of the two sub-transforms)
 # and gives two outputs (y0, y1) by the formula (not
 # including twiddle factors). ...(quoted from Wikipedia)

I just give up trying; Put it in real-World context!


_____________________________________________________________________
The information contained in or attached to this email is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, or a person responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are not authorised to and must not disclose, copy,distribute, or retain this message or any part of it. It may contain information which is confidential and/or covered by legal professional or other privilege (or other rules or laws with similar effect in jurisdictions outside England and Wales).

The views expressed in this email are not necessarily the views of Centrica plc, and the company, its directors, officers or employees make no representation or accept any liability for its accuracy or completeness unless expressly stated to the contrary.

British Gas Services Limited and Centrica Energy (Trading) Limited, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Centrica PLC, are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Registered office: Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD

Registered in England No 3141243.  

Centrica plc

Registered office: Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD

Registered in England and Wales No 3033654