Inverse second
Unit of frequency
title: "Inverse second" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["units-of-frequency"] description: "Unit of frequency" topic_path: "general/units-of-frequency" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse_second" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Unit of frequency ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox unit"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | inverse second |
| symbol | s−1 |
| standard | SI |
| quantity | frequency |
| units1 | SI units |
| inunits1 | |
| :: |
| name = inverse second | image = | caption = | symbol = s−1 | standard = SI | quantity = frequency | units1 = SI units | inunits1 = The inverse second or reciprocal second (s−1), also called per second, is a unit defined as the multiplicative inverse of the second (a unit of time). It is applicable for physical quantities of dimension reciprocal time, such as frequency and strain rate.
It is dimensionally equivalent to:
- hertz (Hz), historically known as cycles per second – the SI unit for frequency and rotational frequency
- becquerel (Bq) – the SI unit for the rate of occurrence of aperiodic or stochastic radionuclide events
- baud (Bd) – the unit for symbol rate over a communication link
- bit per second (bit/s) – the unit of bit rate However, the special names and symbols above for s−1 are recommend for clarity.
Reciprocal second should not be confused with radian per second (rad⋅s−1), the SI unit for angular frequency and angular velocity. As the radian is a dimensionless unit, radian per second is dimensionally consistent with reciprocal second. However, they are used for different kinds of quantity, frequency and angular frequency, whose numerical value differs by 2.
The inverse minute or reciprocal minute (min−1), also called per minute, is 60−1 s−1, as 1 min = 60 s; it is used in quantities of type "counts per minute", such as:
Inverse square second (s−2) is involved in the units of linear acceleration, angular acceleration, and rotational acceleration.
Notes
References
References
- "Units with special names and symbols; units that incorporate special names and symbols".
- "BIPM – Table 3". [[BIPM]].
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