In mathematics, the Laplace transform is a powerful technique for analyzing linear time-invariant systems such as electrical circuits, harmonic oscillators, optical devices, and mechanical systems, to name just a few. Given a simple mathematical or functional description of an input or output to a system, the Laplace transform provides an alternative functional description that often simplifies the process of analyzing the behavior of the system, or in synthesizing a new system based on a set of specifications.
The Laplace transform is an important concept from the branch of mathematics called functional analysis.
In actual physical systems the Laplace transform is often interpreted as a transformation from the time-domain point of view, in which inputs and outputs are understood as functions of time, to the frequency-domain point of view, where the same inputs and outputs are seen as functions of complex angular frequency, or radians per unit time.