Frequency Converter
Convert hertz, kilohertz, megahertz, gigahertz, and terahertz, with period.
What it does
Frequency counts how many cycles happen in one second. It appears in audio, radio, Wi-Fi, computer clocks, and test equipment. A converter is useful when a datasheet lists gigahertz while a project note uses megahertz.
The units differ by powers of 1,000. One kilohertz is 1,000 hertz, one megahertz is 1,000 kilohertz, one gigahertz is 1,000 megahertz, and one terahertz is 1,000 gigahertz. The period moves in the opposite direction because it is the time for a single cycle.
The default example converts 2.4 GHz to 2,400 MHz. The matching period is 416.667 picoseconds. That short cycle is why 2.4 GHz radio hardware needs careful circuit layout and why a 60 Hz power line, with a 16.6667 millisecond period, feels so much slower.
This page uses decimal SI prefixes, so a gigahertz is always one billion hertz. It does not use binary prefixes. The notes show the same value in every supported unit, which makes it easy to catch a wrong selection before using the number elsewhere.
The period calculation assumes a steady waveform. Modulated signals, sweeps, and bursts do not have one fixed period, even when their carrier frequency is well defined. For those signals, treat the result as the carrier period.
How to use
- Enter the frequency as a positive number.
- Choose the unit you are converting from.
- Choose the unit you want as the result.
- Press Calculate to update the answer.
- Read the converted frequency first, then the period.
- Use the all-units note to check the size of the result.
Formula
- f_source
- Frequency in the selected source unit.
- factor
- 1 for Hz, 1,000 for kHz, 1,000,000 for MHz, 1,000,000,000 for GHz, and 1,000,000,000,000 for THz.
- T
- Period in seconds for one complete cycle.
Convert the source value to hertz first, then divide by the target factor. For 2.4 GHz, 2.4 x 1,000,000,000 = 2,400,000,000 Hz. Dividing by 1,000,000 gives 2,400 MHz. The period is 1 / 2,400,000,000 seconds, or 4.16667 x 10^-10 seconds, which is 416.667 picoseconds. The tool keeps six significant digits and selects seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, picoseconds, or femtoseconds for the period.
Worked example
Example: 2.4 GHz to megahertz
Defaults: 2.4 GHz converted to MHz.
- Source factor: 1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz.
- Convert: 2.4 x 1,000,000,000 = 2,400,000,000 Hz.
- Target factor: 1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz.
- Divide: 2,400,000,000 / 1,000,000 = 2,400 MHz.
- Period: 1 / 2,400,000,000 = 4.16667 x 10^-10 s.
- Scale to picoseconds: 4.16667 x 10^-10 x 10^12 = 416.667 ps.
- Tool shows 2,400 MHz and 416.667 ps.
Reference table
| Frequency | Period | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 60 Hz | 16.6667 ms | US mains power |
| 1 kHz | 1 ms | Audio tone |
| 1 MHz | 1 µs | AM radio band |
| 2.4 GHz | 416.667 ps | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth |
| 5 GHz | 200 ps | 5 GHz Wi-Fi band |
Limits
- The period assumes a steady sine or clock; modulated signals change over time.
- Angular frequency in radians per second is not the same as hertz; multiply hertz by 2 pi to compare.
- The display keeps six significant digits, so very small or very large answers are rounded.
- The tool does not calculate wavelength because that also needs a propagation speed.
Common mistakes
- Multiplying when moving from MHz to GHz instead of dividing by 1,000.
- Treating millihertz and megahertz as the same prefix.
- Reporting the period as the frequency without taking the reciprocal.
- Mixing angular frequency in rad/s with ordinary frequency in Hz.
- Dropping a factor of 1,000 between kHz and GHz.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
Convert 60 Hz to kHz and find the period.
0.06 kHz, with a 16.6667 ms period.
Convert 100 MHz to GHz and find the period.
0.1 GHz, with a 10 ns period.
Convert 1 THz to Hz and find the period.
1,000,000,000,000 Hz, with a 1 ps period.
Questions
How do you convert Hz to MHz?
Divide by 1,000,000. For example, 2,400,000 Hz is 2.4 MHz.
What is a period?
The time for one complete cycle. It is 1 divided by the frequency in hertz, so 60 Hz has a 16.6667 ms period.
Is 1 GHz equal to 1,000 MHz?
Yes. 1 GHz is 1,000 MHz, or 1,000,000,000 Hz.
Why is the 2.4 GHz period 416.667 ps?
One divided by 2,400,000,000 cycles per second is 4.16667 x 10^-10 seconds, or 416.667 picoseconds.
Are Hz and rad/s the same?
No. One hertz equals 2 pi radians per second because one cycle covers 2 pi radians.
Does the converter use binary prefixes?
No. It uses decimal SI prefixes, where each step is a factor of 1,000.
Sources
- NIST: SI units of time and frequency
- NIST SP 811 Appendix B.8: factors for time and frequency
- BIPM: SI Brochure