The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT): Most Ingenious Algorithm Ever?

In this video, we take a look at one of the most beautiful algorithms ever created: the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). This is a tricky algorithm to understand so we take a look at it in a context that we are all familiar with: polynomial multiplication. You will see how the core ideas of the FFT can be “discovered“ through asking the right questions. The key insights that are presented in this video is that polynomial multiplication can be improved significantly by multiplying polynomials in a special value representation. The challenge that presents itself is the problem of converting a polynomial from a standard coefficient representation to value representation. We see that the FFT is an incredibly efficient recursive algorithm that performs this task, and we also discover that a slightly tweaked FFT (Inverse FFT) can also solve the reverse problem of interpolation. If this video doesn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what will. 0:00 Introduction 2:19 Polynomial Multiplic