Cycles Per Second (CPS): The Historical Name for Hertz
Cycles per second (cps) is the historical name for the unit now known as the hertz (Hz). It measures the number of complete cycles, oscillations, or repeating events that occur every second. While the term "cycles per second" clearly describes the concept of frequency, the International System of Units (SI) officially adopted the name hertz in 1960.
What Is Cycles Per Second?
Cycles per second is a unit of frequency equal to one complete cycle every second. Numerically, it is identical to one hertz.
The unit was historically used in physics, electronics, acoustics, radio communications, and electrical engineering before the widespread adoption of the SI name "hertz." Many older textbooks, equipment manuals, and scientific publications still reference cycles per second or its abbreviation, cps.
History of Cycles Per Second
Before the International System of Units standardized the name hertz, frequency was commonly expressed as cycles per second because it directly described the number of repeating events occurring each second. In 1960, the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) officially adopted the name hertz (Hz) in honor of German physicist Heinrich Hertz, making it the SI derived unit of frequency.
Current Uses of Cycles Per Second
Today, cycles per second is mainly encountered in historical documents, legacy technical manuals, older engineering references, and educational discussions explaining the origin of the hertz. Modern scientific, engineering, and industrial applications use hertz instead of cycles per second.
Cycles Per Second Conversion
One cycle per second is equal to:
- 1 hertz (Hz)
- 0.001 kilohertz (kHz)
- 60 revolutions per minute (rpm)
- 6.283185307179586 radians per second (rad/s)
You can use ChangeUnit to convert cycles per second to hertz, kilohertz, revolutions per minute, and many other frequency units.