Cycles per second (cps)

Cycles per second was the name for the hertz before the SI adopted "hertz" in 1960; older radio and electronics books use cps and kc (kilocycles).

Convert cycles per second to any frequency unit

1 cycle per second = 1 hertz

Quick facts

Unit
Cycle per second (plural: cycles per second)
Symbol
cps
Measures
Frequency
System
Cycles & rotation
Equals
1 hertz
Definition
Exactly one hertz.
Also written
c/s

1 cycle per second in other units

Hertz1 Hz
Gigahertz1 × 10-9 GHz
Megahertz0.000001 MHz
Kilohertz0.001 kHz
Revolutions per minute60 rpm
Beats per minute60 bpm
Terahertz1 × 10-12 THz

What is a cycle per second?

Cycles per second was the name for the hertz before the SI adopted "hertz" in 1960; older radio and electronics books use cps and kc (kilocycles).

Where the cycle per second sits among frequency units

The cycle per second is number 14 of 24 on our scale of frequency units, ordered from smallest to largest.

Revolution per minute1 cps = 60 rpm Beat per minute1 cps = 60 bpm Hertz1 cps = 1 Hz Cycle per secondthis unit Kilohertz1 kHz = 1,000 cps Megahertz1 MHz = 1,000,000 cps Gigahertz1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 cps Terahertz1 THz = 1,000,000,000,000 cps

Top cycle per second conversions

Common amounts of cycles per second

Convert cycles per second to all 23 other units

Hertz

Cycles & rotation

Per unit of time

Convert to cycles per second

Frequently asked questions

What is a cycle per second?

Cycles per second was the name for the hertz before the SI adopted "hertz" in 1960; older radio and electronics books use cps and kc (kilocycles).

How is the cycle per second defined?

Exactly one hertz.

How many hertz are in a cycle per second?

One cycle per second equals 1 hertz.

How many gigahertz are in a cycle per second?

One cycle per second equals 1e-9 gigahertz.

How many megahertz are in a cycle per second?

One cycle per second equals 0.000001 megahertz.