# Testing Latex

I was thrilled to find that WordPress supports Latex. For those of you who don’t know, Latex is a document typesetting system that, among many features, allows quick mathematical writing.  As an example, I’ll write up the Fourier transform equation, a remarkable tool in the EE’s arsenal1 that decomposes a signal into its representation in the frequency domain (land of sines and cosines). To put it more simply, think of it as trying to determine the ingredients of an already prepared meal; taking the Fourier transform of your lunch will yield its individual components in the ingredient domain. Pretty neat, huh?

So here it goes:

$\displaystyle X(f) = \int^\infty_{-\infty} x(t) e^{-j2\pi f t } \, dt$

It renders beautifully! I sometimes think how amazing it is that such little formula can have so many applications. The Fourier transform is used extensively in digital communications, circuit design, medical imaging, etc; it even allows us to model the physiology of our hearing! Whatever I write here won’t do it enough justice. I think the Fourier transform deserves its own post.

[1] This could a good name for regular thematic postings, as I can write about useful tools I’ve learned or would like to learn