The document discusses fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), which are efficient algorithms for computing the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and its inverse. FFTs require fewer arithmetic operations than directly computing the DFT, making them faster. There are different FFT algorithms that exploit properties of symmetry and periodicity to improve efficiency compared to direct computation of the DFT. The document provides an example of using a radix-2 decimation-in-frequency FFT algorithm to compute the DFT of a given discrete-time sequence.