The Analytical Theory Of Heat

In this pioneering work of mathematics, Joseph Fourier shows how the conduction of heat in solid bodies can be analyzed in terms of an infinite mathematical series. Known as the Fourier Series, this was the first correct theory on heat diffusion and continues to be used in present-day analysis. For anyone interested in the theory of heat or in the mathematical tools developed by Fourier, this classic work remains indispensable. Born the son of a French tailor, JOSEPH FOURIER (1768-1830) was a mathematician, Egyptologist, and politician whose strong influence on mathematical physics continues to this day. His other works include Description of Egypt and Analysis of Determinate Equations.

First published in 1878, The Analytical Theory of Heat is Alexander Freeman's English translation of French mathematician Joseph Fourier's Théorie Analytique de la Chaleur, originally published in French in 1822. In this groundbreaking study, arguing that previous theories of mechanics advanced by such scientific greats as Archimedes, Galileo, Newton and their successors did not explain the laws of heat, Fourier set out to study the mathematical laws governing heat diffusion and proposed that an infinite mathematical series may be used to analyse the conduction of heat in solids. Known in scientific circles as the 'Fourier Series', this work paved the way for modern mathematical physics. This translation, now reissued, contains footnotes that cross-reference other writings by Fourier and his contemporaries, along with 20 figures and an extensive bibliography. This book will be especially useful for mathematicians who are interested in trigonometric series and their applications.

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