If your favorite AM radio station has a frequency of 680 kilohertz (kHz), that means the station's transmitter is oscillating (vibrating) at a rate of 680,000 cycles per second (i.e., 680,000 times a second). A related term is megahertz (MHz), meaning "millions of cycles per second". Shortwave radio operates between 5.9 and 26.1 MHz, and the FM radio band operates between 88 and 108 MHz. Garage-door openers work at about 40 MHz, baby monitors work at 49 MHz, and so on. The terms hertz, kilohertz and megahertz honor the great German physicist Heinrich Hertz, the first person to broadcast and receive radio waves.
Example Sentences
a frequency of 80 kilohertz
Recent Examples on the WebThe upper frequency limit for the average human ear may be a measly 20 kilohertz, but most mammals can hear well into the ultrasound range. Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 22 June 2022 These devices send out sound waves above 20 kilohertz, the typical human high-end threshold for hearing, and some modulate between 32 and 64 kHz so undesirable animals cannot adapt. Adam Hadhazy, Popular Mechanics, 9 Mar. 2021 But at 10 kilohertz, electricity slips by these nerves unnoticed. Max G. Levy, Wired, 29 Jan. 2021 Measuring in the range of 20 to 150 kilohertz, the researchers found that even happy, healthy plants made the occasional noise. Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, 2 Dec. 2019 Starting Tuesday, Amazon HD customers will have access to some 50 million songs in what the company calls HD audio, or the equivalent of CD quality — 16-bit files with sampling rates of 44.1 kilohertz.BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2019 Advertising Frequency response is 15 hertz to 40 kilohertz, and sensitivity is greater than or equal to 101 decibels (at 1,000 hertz). Jim Rossman, The Seattle Times, 13 Apr. 2019 The transmitter and receiver are matched to the same magnetic frequency, about 85 kilohertz, so that energy losses are minimal and the system operates at 95 percent efficiency, Daga said, comparable to a plug-in charger. Andrew Maykuth, Philly.com, 26 Apr. 2018 Peak hearing sensitivity for most birds is believed to rest between two to three kilohertz. Douglas Quenqua, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2018 See More