Understanding frequency units
Hertz counts cycles per second. 60 rpm is 1 revolution per second, equal to 1 Hz for a repeating event once per revolution. Angular frequency is 2π times frequency, so radians per second are not numerically identical to hertz.
Conversion method
For linear units, multiply the input by its factor to the base unit, then divide by the target factor. The table lists definitions where exact and approximate constants where applicable.
| Unit | 1 unit in base units | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Hertz (Hz) | 1 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Kilohertz (kHz) | 1,000 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Megahertz (MHz) | 1,000,000 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Gigahertz (GHz) | 1,000,000,000 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Revolution per minute (rpm) | 0.0166666667 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Radian per second (rad/s) | 0.1591549431 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
Worked example and common conversions
10 Hz = 600 rpm. Keep full precision during conversion, then round the final result to the precision of your measurement.
| From | To |
|---|---|
| 10 Hz | 600 rpm |
| 10 rpm | 0.1666666667 Hz |
| 10 MHz | 0.01 GHz |
| 10 rpm | 1.0471975512 rad/s |