A new algorithm performs Fourier transforms using a minimal number of samples. The fast Fourier transform, one of the most important algorithms of the 20th century, revolutionized signal processing.

If there's a mathematical idea that applies itself to almost everything in everyday life but is almost unknown outside the scientific world, the Fourier transform has to be the most unsung contender.

The Fourier transform underpins so much of our technological lives, in most cases probably without our realising it. The ability to mathematically split a waveform into its frequency components and ...