By exploring the relations among functional equations, harmonic analysis and representation theory, we give a unified and very accessible approach to solve three important functional equations - the d'Alembert equation, the Wilson equation, and the d'Alembert long equation - on compact groups.

For a locally compact group $G$, let $A(G)$ be its Fourier algebra, let $M_{cb}A(G)$ denote the completely bounded multipliers of $A(G)$, and let $A_{\mathit{Mcb}}(G)$ stand for the closure of $A(G)$ in $M_{cb}A(G)$. We characterize the norm one idempotents in $M_{cb}A(G)$: the indicator function of a set $E \subset G$ is a norm one idempotent in $M_{cb}A(G)$ if and only if $E$ is a coset of an open subgroup of $G$. As applications, we describe the closed ideals of $A_{\mathit{Mcb}}(G)$ with an approximate identity bounded by $1$, and we characterize those $G$ for which $A_{\mathit{Mcb}}(G)$ is $1$-amenable in the sense of B. E. Johnson. (We can even slightly relax the norm bounds.)

This paper studies Hausdorff--Young inequalities for certain group extensions, by use of Mackey's theory. We consider the case in which the dual action of the quotient group is free almost everywhere. This result applies in particular to yield a Hausdorff--Young inequality for nonunimodular groups.