Simple Explanation

A unit that tells you how many times something happens every second—used to measure sound frequency.

Concise Technical Definition

The unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), defined as one cycle per second.

Layman-Friendly Analogy

Like counting how many times a swing goes back and forth in one second—each swing is one Hertz.

Industry Usage Summary

Used universally to express audio frequency (e.g., 20 Hz = low bass, 1,000 Hz = midrange, 20,000 Hz = upper treble); crucial in speaker specs and EQ.

Engineering Shortcut

Frequency = cycles/sec; 1 Hz = 1 CPS.

Full Technical Explanation

Hertz (Hz) is the standard unit of frequency, named after physicist Heinrich Hertz. It measures how many complete cycles (or oscillations) of a wave occur per second. In audio, it is used to describe sound wave frequencies: for example, 20 Hz represents very low bass tones, while 20,000 Hz (20 kHz) represents the upper limit of human hearing. The term replaced the older unit CPS (Cycles Per Second). Hz is foundational in all fields of acoustics, signal processing, and electronics, as it quantifies waveform repetition over time.