Orders of magnitude (frequency)

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The following list illustrates various frequencies, measured in hertz, according to decade in the order of their magnitudes, with the negative decades illustrated by events and positive decades by acoustic or electromagnetic uses.

Factor
(Hz)		MultipleValueItem
10−181 attohertz (aHz)~2.2978 aHzThe Hubble constant (once in 13.8 billion years)
10−1710 aHz~79 aHz Supercontinent cycle (about every 400 million years)
10−16100 aHz~137.8 aHzOnce per galactic year (about every 230 million years)
10−151 femtohertz (fHz)~3 fHzSound waves created by a supermassive black hole in the Perseus cluster [1]
10−1410 fHz~31.71 fHzOnce every one million years
10−121 picohertz (pHz)1.23 pHz Precession of the Earth's axis (about every 25,700 years)
10−1110 pHz~31.71 pHzOnce per millennium
10−10100 pHz~317.1 pHzOnce per century
10−91 nanohertz (nHz)~1 nHzOnce per generation (about every 30 years)
~2.9 nHzAverage solar cycle (about every 11 years)
~3.171 nHzOnce per decade
10−810 nHz11.6699016 nHz Once in a blue moon [2]
~31.71 nHzYearly (or Earth's orbital frequency)
10−7100 nHz~380.5 nHzMonthly (or the Moon's orbital frequency)
~413 nHzAverage menstrual cycle (28 days)
10−61 microhertz (μHz)~1.653 μHzWeekly
10−510 μHz~11.57 μHzDaily (or Earth's rotation frequency)
10−4100 μHz~277.8 μHzHourly
10−21 centihertz (cHz)~16.667 mHzOne rpm
10−11 decihertz (dHz)189 mHzAcoustic – frequency of G−7, the lowest note sung by the singer with the deepest voice in the world, Tim Storms. His vocal cords vibrate 1 time every 5.29 seconds.
1001 hertz (Hz)1 to 1.66 HzApproximate frequency of an adult human's resting heart beat
1 Hz60  bpm, common tempo in music
2 Hz120  bpm, common tempo in music
~7.83 Hz Fundamental frequency of the Schumann resonances
10110 hertz10 HzCyclic rate of a typical automobile engine at idle (equivalent to 600 rpm)
12 HzAcoustic – the lowest possible frequency that a human can hear [3]
18 HzAverage house cat's purr
24 HzCommon frame rate of movies
27.5 HzAcoustic – the lowest musical note (A0) playable on a normally-tuned standard piano
50 Hz Electromagnetic  – standard AC mains power (European AC, Tokyo AC),
refresh rate of PAL and SECAM CRT televisions
60 Hz Electromagnetic  – standard AC mains power (American AC, Osaka AC),
refresh rate of NTSC CRT televisions and standard refresh rate of computer monitors
102100 Hz100 HzCyclic rate of a typical automobile engine at redline (equivalent to 6000  rpm)
261.626 HzAcoustic – the musical note middle C (C4)
440 HzAcoustic – concert pitch (A above middle C; A4), used for tuning musical instruments
716 HzRotational period of one of the fastest known millisecond pulsars, PSR J1748−2446ad [4]
1031 kilohertz (kHz)1 kHzUsual frequency of a bleep censor
4.186 kHzAcoustic – the highest musical note (C8) playable on a normally-tuned standard piano
8 kHz ISDN sampling rate
10410 kHz14 kHzAcoustic – the typical upper limit of adult human hearing
17.4 kHzAcoustic – a frequency known as the Mosquito, which is generally only audible to those under the age of 24.
25.1 kHzAcoustic – G10, the highest pitch sung by Georgia Brown, who has a vocal range of 8 octaves.
44.1 kHz Common audio sampling frequency
105100 kHz740 kHzThe clock speed of the world's first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004 (1971)
1061 megahertz (MHz)530 kHz to 1.710 MHzElectromagnetic – AM radio broadcasts
1 MHz to 8 MHzClock speeds of early home/personal computers (mid-1970s to mid-1980s)
10710 MHz13.56 MHzElectromagnetic – near field communication
108100 MHz88 MHz to 108 MHzElectromagnetic – FM radio broadcasts
902 to 928 MHz Electromagnetic  – common cordless telephone frequency in the US
1091 gigahertz (GHz)1.42 GHz Electromagnetic  – the hyperfine transition of hydrogen, also known as the hydrogen line or 21 cm line
2.4 GHz Electromagnetic  – microwave ovens, wireless LANs and cordless phones (starting in 1998)
2.6–3.8 GHzA common desktop CPU speed as of 2014
5.8 GHz Electromagnetic  – cordless telephone frequency introduced in 2003
101010 GHz3 GHz to 30 GHz Electromagnetic  – super high frequency
60 GHzElectromagnetic – 60 GHz Wi-Fi (WiGig) introduced in 2010
1011100 GHz160.2 GHz Electromagnetic  – peak of cosmic microwave background radiation
845 GHzFastest transistor (December 2006). [5] [6]
10121 terahertz (THz)The terahertz gap
101310 THz21 THz to 33 THz Electromagnetic  – infrared light used in thermal imaging, for example for night vision
31.5 THz Electromagnetic  – peak of black-body radiation emitted by human body
1014100 THz400 THz to 790 THzElectromagnetic – visible light, from red to violet
10151 petahertz (PHz)2.47 PHz Electromagnetic  – Lyman-alpha line
101610 PHz30 PHz Electromagnetic  – X-rays
1017100 PHz
10181 exahertz (EHz)
101910 EHz
1020100 EHz300 EHz + Electromagnetic  – gamma rays
10211 zettahertz (ZHz)36 ZHz Resonance width of the rho meson
10241 yottahertz (YHz)
10271 ronnahertz (RHz)3.9 RHzHighest energy (16 TeV) gamma ray detected, from Markarian 501
10301 quettahertz (QHz)
104310 trillion QHz18.5 trillion QHzThe unit of inverse time (or frequency) in the system of Planck units

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electromagnetic spectrum</span> Range of frequencies or wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation

The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of electromagnetic radiation, organized by frequency or wavelength. The spectrum is divided into separate bands, with different names for the electromagnetic waves within each band. From low to high frequency these are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. The electromagnetic waves in each of these bands have different characteristics, such as how they are produced, how they interact with matter, and their practical applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frequency</span> Number of occurrences or cycles per unit time

Frequency, most often measured in hertz, is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as temporal frequency for clarity and to distinguish it from spatial frequency. Ordinary frequency is related to angular frequency by a factor of 2π. The period is the interval of time between events, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency: T = 1/f.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hertz</span> SI unit for frequency

The hertz is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one hertz is the reciprocal of one second. It is named after Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857–1894), the first person to provide conclusive proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. Hertz are commonly expressed in multiples: kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (MHz), gigahertz (GHz), terahertz (THz).

A microsecond is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one millionth of a second. Its symbol is μs, sometimes simplified to us when Unicode is not available.

A picosecond is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) equal to 10−12 or 1⁄1 000 000 000 000 of a second. That is one trillionth, or one millionth of one millionth of a second, or 0.000 000 000 001 seconds. A picosecond is to one second as one second is to approximately 31,689 years. Multiple technical approaches achieve imaging within single-digit picoseconds: for example, the streak camera or intensified CCD (ICCD) cameras are able to picture the motion of light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitch (music)</span> Perceptual property in music ordering sounds from low to high

Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale, or more commonly, pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies. Pitch is a major auditory attribute of musical tones, along with duration, loudness, and timbre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio wave</span> Type of electromagnetic radiation

Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequencies and the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies below 300 gigahertz (GHz) and wavelengths greater than 1 millimeter, about the diameter of a grain of rice. Like all electromagnetic waves, radio waves in a vacuum travel at the speed of light, and in the Earth's atmosphere at a slightly slower speed. Radio waves are generated by charged particles undergoing acceleration, such as time-varying electric currents. Naturally occurring radio waves are emitted by lightning and astronomical objects, and are part of the blackbody radiation emitted by all warm objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angular frequency</span> Rate of change of angle

In physics, angular frequency, also called angular speed and angular rate, is a scalar measure of the angle rate or the temporal rate of change of the phase argument of a sinusoidal waveform or sine function . Angular frequency is the magnitude of the pseudovector quantity angular velocity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infrasound</span> Vibrations with frequencies lower than 20 hertz

Infrasound, sometimes referred to as low frequency sound, describes sound waves with a frequency below the lower limit of human audibility. Hearing becomes gradually less sensitive as frequency decreases, so for humans to perceive infrasound, the sound pressure must be sufficiently high. Although the ear is the primary organ for sensing low sound, at higher intensities it is possible to feel infrasound vibrations in various parts of the body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clock rate</span> Frequency at which CPU chip or core is operating

In computing, the clock rate or clock speed typically refers to the frequency at which the clock generator of a processor can generate pulses, which are used to synchronize the operations of its components, and is used as an indicator of the processor's speed. It is measured in the SI unit of frequency hertz (Hz).

An audio frequency or audible frequency (AF) is a periodic vibration whose frequency is audible to the average human. The SI unit of frequency is the hertz (Hz). It is the property of sound that most determines pitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terahertz radiation</span> Range 300-3000 GHz of the electromagnetic spectrum

Terahertz radiation – also known as submillimeter radiation, terahertz waves, tremendously high frequency (THF), T-rays, T-waves, T-light, T-lux or THz – consists of electromagnetic waves within the ITU-designated band of frequencies from 0.3 to 3 terahertz (THz), although the upper boundary is somewhat arbitrary and is considered by some sources as 30 THz. One terahertz is 1012 Hz or 1,000 GHz. Wavelengths of radiation in the terahertz band correspondingly range from 1 mm to 0.1 mm = 100 μm. Because terahertz radiation begins at a wavelength of around 1 millimeter and proceeds into shorter wavelengths, it is sometimes known as the submillimeter band, and its radiation as submillimeter waves, especially in astronomy. This band of electromagnetic radiation lies within the transition region between microwave and far infrared, and can be regarded as either.

The radio spectrum is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with frequencies from 3 Hz to 3,000 GHz (3 THz). Electromagnetic waves in this frequency range, called radio waves, are widely used in modern technology, particularly in telecommunication. To prevent interference between different users, the generation and transmission of radio waves is strictly regulated by national laws, coordinated by an international body, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra low frequency</span> Range 300-3000 Hz of the electromagnetic spectrum

Ultra low frequency (ULF) is the ITU designation for the frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 hertz and 3 kilohertz, corresponding to wavelengths between 1,000 to 100 km. In magnetosphere science and seismology, alternative definitions are usually given, including ranges from 1 mHz to 100 Hz, 1 mHz to 1 Hz, and 10 mHz to 10 Hz.

Terahertz tomography is a class of tomography where sectional imaging is done by terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation is electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between 0.1 and 10 THz; it falls between radio waves and light waves on the spectrum; it encompasses portions of the millimeter waves and infrared wavelengths. Because of its high frequency and short wavelength, terahertz wave has a high signal-to-noise ratio in the time domain spectrum. Tomography using terahertz radiation can image samples that are opaque in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum. Terahertz wave three-dimensional (3D) imaging technology has developed rapidly since its first successful application in 1997, and a series of new 3D imaging technologies have been proposed successively.

In computing, computer performance is the amount of useful work accomplished by a computer system. Outside of specific contexts, computer performance is estimated in terms of accuracy, efficiency and speed of executing computer program instructions. When it comes to high computer performance, one or more of the following factors might be involved:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwater acoustics</span> Study of the propagation of sound in water

Underwater acoustics is the study of the propagation of sound in water and the interaction of the mechanical waves that constitute sound with the water, its contents and its boundaries. The water may be in the ocean, a lake, a river or a tank. Typical frequencies associated with underwater acoustics are between 10 Hz and 1 MHz. The propagation of sound in the ocean at frequencies lower than 10 Hz is usually not possible without penetrating deep into the seabed, whereas frequencies above 1 MHz are rarely used because they are absorbed very quickly.

Milton Feng co-created the first transistor laser, working with Nick Holonyak in 2004. The paper discussing their work was voted in 2006 as one of the five most important papers published by the American Institute of Physics since its founding 75 years ago. In addition to the invention of transistor laser, he is also well known for inventions of other "major breakthrough" devices, including the world's fastest transistor and light-emitting transistor (LET). As of May, 2009 he is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and holds the Nick Holonyak Jr. Endowed Chair Professorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sound</span> Vibration that travels via pressure waves in matter

In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the reception of such waves and their perception by the brain. Only acoustic waves that have frequencies lying between about 20 Hz and 20 kHz, the audio frequency range, elicit an auditory percept in humans. In air at atmospheric pressure, these represent sound waves with wavelengths of 17 meters (56 ft) to 1.7 centimeters (0.67 in). Sound waves above 20 kHz are known as ultrasound and are not audible to humans. Sound waves below 20 Hz are known as infrasound. Different animal species have varying hearing ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terahertz metamaterial</span>

A terahertz metamaterial is a class of composite metamaterials designed to interact at terahertz (THz) frequencies. The terahertz frequency range used in materials research is usually defined as 0.1 to 10 THz.

References

  1. ↑ "Black Hole Sound Waves  – NASA Science".
  2. ↑ Google Calculator result for "once in a blue moon"
  3. ↑ 20 Hz is considered the normal low frequency limit of human hearing. When pure sine waves are reproduced under ideal conditions and at very high volume, a human listener will be able to identify tones as low as 12 Hz. Olson, Harry F. (1967). Music, Physics and Engineering. Dover Publications. p. 249. ISBN   0-486-21769-8.
  4. ↑ Hessels, J. W. T.; Ransom, S. M.; Stairs, I. H.; Freire, P. C.; Kaspi, V. M.; Camilo, F. (2006). "A Radio Pulsar Spinning at 716 Hz". Science. 311 (5769): 1901–1904. arXiv: astro-ph/0601337 . Bibcode:2006Sci...311.1901H. doi:10.1126/science.1123430. PMID   16410486. S2CID   14945340.
  5. ↑ "Fastest Transistor Approaches Terahertz Speed". Highbeam. 2007-01-01. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05.
  6. ↑ "World's fastest transistor approaches goal of terahertz device". Illinois News Bureau. December 11, 2006.
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