[Help] IB Mathematics Extended Essay - Fourier series' and proofs

[shoumikdc]

EDIT: Thanks, problem solved!

Edited June 3, 2016 by shoumikdc
didn't want my EE topic floating around on the internet

[kw0573]

Don't stop your EE simply after doing a proof. You should thoroughly explore what you find to be astounding about this transform that made you spent all the trouble looking for it. For example maybe you would like to offer your own proof, even if it's not successful. It should be as much a personal essay as it is a mathematical one. You are not expected to create new knowledge to mathematical community, instead you are detailing the process at which you generated this knowledge for yourself. Now, don't deliberately add ToK jargon, but you should fine-tune your research question and your approach so you can show off a lot of math you already know, such as from the IB syllabus. 

I have a kind of far-fetched analogy. Say your topic was instead pi. You wouldn't just say "circumference / diameter" and stop. You would talk about some applications or occurrences or some personal favourite aspects about pi. Similarly here,  you should do a similar treatment with Fourier transforms. 

For best chances to score a good grade, examine the marking rubric carefully and determine how you plan to earn every mark. 

EDIT: regarding usefulness.
For my EE, my RQ was something along the lines of "How are slide rules (I used a more technical term) created and how are they useful to visualize a 3-dimensional equation?". My conclusion, in concise terms, said "Slide rules can be created by guessing a matrix and applying matrix transforms. Because slide rules have been phased out of use in both schools and industry, it's a foreign concept that may not be accessible to students. Only the best students demonstrated some understanding of the slide rule, which defeats the purpose of using it as a learning tool. The slide rule can also be manipulated to convey information not direct conveyed by the equation that it describes." You don't really need a numerical answer in your conclusion, instead you can just summarize what you learned about Fourier transforms.

Edited May 30, 2016 by kw0573