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Frequency's Foundation: The Hertz Unit

An essential exploration of the Hertz (Hz), the fundamental SI unit quantifying the rate of periodic events, crucial across physics, engineering, and computing.

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Definition

The Measure of Cycles

The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the standard unit of frequency within the International System of Units (SI). It quantifies the rate at which a periodic event occurs, specifically defined as one event, or cycle, per second. This fundamental unit is an SI derived unit, expressed in base SI units as the reciprocal of a second (s-1). It is exclusively applied to periodic phenomena.

Precision in Measurement

The definition of the second, established by the International Committee for Weights and Measures, underpins the hertz. The second is defined by the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom. Consequently, the hyperfine splitting in the ground state of the caesium-133 atom is precisely 9,192,631,770 hertz (ฮฝhfs Cs = 9,192,631,770 Hz). The dimensional representation of the hertz is T-1, or inverse time.

Usage and Multiples

In common parlance, "hertz" serves as both the singular and plural form. For high frequencies, the unit is frequently expressed using SI prefixes: kilohertz (kHz, 103 Hz), megahertz (MHz, 106 Hz), gigahertz (GHz, 109 Hz), and terahertz (THz, 1012 Hz). For instance, 100 Hz signifies one hundred periodic events occurring each second. This unit is applicable to any periodic event, such as the ticking of a clock or the beating of a human heart.

Historical Context

Honoring Heinrich Hertz

The hertz is named in tribute to the German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857โ€“1894), renowned for his pioneering work in demonstrating the existence of electromagnetic waves. The unit's formal establishment occurred in 1935 by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and was subsequently adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1960.

Transition from Cycles

Prior to the adoption of the hertz, the unit for frequency was commonly referred to as "cycles per second" (cps), along with its multiples like kilocycles per second (kc/s) and megacycles per second (Mc/s). By the 1970s, the term "hertz" had largely superseded "cycles per second" in scientific and technical literature, reflecting a global standardization effort.

Diverse Applications

Sound and Vibration

In acoustics, frequency is perceived as pitch. The human ear can typically detect frequencies ranging from approximately 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. This range encompasses audible sound, while frequencies below (infrasound) and above (ultrasound) are outside human perception but significant in various scientific and technological contexts. Vibrations at atomic and molecular levels can occur at frequencies extending into the terahertz range and beyond.

Electromagnetic Radiation

Electromagnetic radiation is characterized by its frequency, representing the number of oscillations per second of its electric and magnetic fields. Radio frequencies are commonly measured in kHz, MHz, and GHz (microwaves). Visible light spans frequencies in the hundreds of terahertz (THz), with infrared and ultraviolet radiation extending beyond this range. Higher frequencies, such as X-rays and gamma rays, are measured in exahertz (EHz).

Computing and Electronics

In computing, the clock speed of processors, such as CPUs, is often specified in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). This indicates the frequency of the master clock signal that synchronizes operations. While a common metric, it's acknowledged as a potentially misleading benchmark, as actual performance depends on numerous architectural factors. Computer buses also operate at frequencies within the megahertz range.

Gravitational Waves

The detection of gravitational waves involves measuring frequencies across vast scales. Current observations by interferometers like LIGO focus on the 30โ€“7000 Hz range, while pulsar timing arrays analyze nanohertz (nHz) frequencies. Future detectors aim to cover ranges from microhertz (ฮผHz) to millihertz (mHz) and up to the hertz range.

SI Multiples

Standard Prefixes for Hertz

The SI system provides a range of prefixes to denote multiples and submultiples of the hertz, facilitating the expression of very high or very low frequencies.

SI multiples of hertz (Hz)
Submultiples Multiples
Value SI symbol Name Value SI symbol Name
10โˆ’1 Hz dHz decihertz 101 Hz daHz decahertz
10โˆ’2 Hz cHz centihertz 102 Hz hHz hectohertz
10โˆ’3 Hz mHz millihertz 103 Hz kHz kilohertz
10โˆ’6 Hz ฮผHz microhertz 106 Hz MHz megahertz
10โˆ’9 Hz nHz nanohertz 109 Hz GHz gigahertz
10โˆ’12 Hz pHz picohertz 1012 Hz THz terahertz
10โˆ’15 Hz fHz femtohertz 1015 Hz PHz petahertz
10โˆ’18 Hz aHz attohertz 1018 Hz EHz exahertz
10โˆ’21 Hz zHz zeptohertz 1021 Hz ZHz zettahertz
10โˆ’24 Hz yHz yoctohertz 1024 Hz YHz yottahertz
10โˆ’27 Hz rHz rontohertz 1027 Hz RHz ronnahertz
10โˆ’30 Hz qHz quectohertz 1030 Hz QHz quettahertz
Common prefixed units are in bold.

Unicode Representation

CJK Compatibility Characters

The Unicode standard includes specific characters within the CJK Compatibility block intended for representing common SI frequency units. These include symbols for hertz, kHz, MHz, GHz, and THz. However, these are primarily for compatibility with older encoding systems and are generally not recommended for use in modern documents, where standard Latin characters (e.g., "MHz") are preferred for clarity and broader support.

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References

References

  1.  Atomic vibrations are typically on the order of tens of terahertz
  2.  "hertz". (1992). American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (3rd ed.), Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
  3.  NIST Guide to SI Units รขย€ย“ 9 Rules and Style Conventions for Spelling Unit Names, National Institute of Standards and Technology
A full list of references for this article are available at the Hertz Wikipedia page

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