Fourier transform – A math tool used in optics, MP3s, JPEGs and more (2013)
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HN comment orderIf you want to see how the Fourier series work with sound and oscillators, I made a cool interactive visualization here: http://bgrawi.com/Fourier-Visualizations/
This is a great post, but it's a little bit misleading when talking about MP3s and lossy compression and conflates analog fourier analysis with discrete analysis. When you're talking about a digital signal, it is the sample rate that determines the maximum frequency you can represent. It's not MP3s that "throw out the really high notes" -- it's any digital signal. A discrete fourier transform actually is lossless, but it is bandwidth limited. The reason audiophiles prefer Flac to MP3s…
Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6683866
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 2
- Total points
- 774
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- 184
100+ points or 50+ comments
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reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-11-06 | Fourier Transforms – The Math Trick Behind MP3s, JPEGs, and Homer Simpson’s FaceFirst breakout | aatish | 356 | 100 |
| 2016-07-06 | The Math Trick Behind MP3s, JPEGs, and Homer Simpson’s Face | uyoakaoma | 1 | 1 |
| 2017-04-11 | Fourier transform – A math tool used in optics, MP3s, JPEGs and more (2013)Best thread · Latest 20+ point return | signa11 | 417 | 83 |