Short-time Fourier transform of a guitar solo. You don't have to be around signal processing very long before you realize that Fourier methods play a huge role in the field. Newcomers often wonder why they are so important. There are several very good reasons for the prominence of Fourier methods in signal processing. They offer substantial […]
Brain Network Models
Illustration of a directed brain network. by Barry Van Veen One of the scientific frontiers of our time is understanding the human brain. The U.S. National Academy of Engineering declared reverse engineering the brain to be an engineering grand challenge. U.S. President Barak Obama recently inaugurated the BRAIN initiative to "revolutionize our understanding of the human mind." Similar […]
Careers in Signal Processing?
by Barry Van Veen I am often asked, "What do careers in signal processing involve?" My answer is, "Almost anything." Signal processing has invaded every aspect of our daily lives. Medical diagnostics and treatment, transportation, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, and personal electronics, e.g., cell phones, are a few of the everyday places we use signal processing. The […]
Levitating Helicopters?
Levitating helicopters? Wheels rotating contrary to the vehicle motion? You probably have seen it in movies, video, or on television. These are not special effects, but rather a natural consequence of unavoidable aliasing when recording video. See a video of a levitating helicopter and an analysis of the aliasing that led to this "special" effect […]
Aliasing in Movies: Levitating Helicopters and Wheels Rotating Contrary to Motion
by Barry Van Veen Movies consist of individual images that are recorded or played back at a certain rate. Thus each pixel in the movie is sampled. A common frame rate for movies is 30 frames per second, which means that each pixel is sampled at 30 Hz. This is sufficiently fast that humans do […]
"Foundations" Course Released
I'm pleased to announce the launch of a free new "Foundations of Signal Processing" course. The Foundations course incorporates the most recent introductory material and is organized like my university classes. It contains both lessons and exercises to help you learn and retain the material. The course is delivered through seven weekly emails. If you are […]
