


The symbols most often used for frequency are f and the Greek letters nu (ν) and omega (ω). Nu is used more often when specifying electromagnetic waves, such as light, X-rays, and gamma rays. Omega is usually used to describe the angular frequency—that is, how much an object rotates or revolves in radians per unit time. Usually frequency is expressed in the hertz unit, named in honour of the 19th-century German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, one hertz being equal to one cycle per second, abbreviated Hz; one kilohertz (kHz) is 1,000 Hz, and one megahertz (MHz) is 1,000,000 Hz. In spectroscopy another unit of frequency, the wave number, is sometimes used.

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