Sampling Rate Calculator

Calculate the minimum sampling rate needed to capture a signal without aliasing, with optional oversampling ratio.

Hz

Minimum 2 (Nyquist), typical 4-8 for practical systems

Minimum Sampling Rate (Nyquist)

40,000 Hz

Practical Sampling Rate40,000 Hz
Data Rate (16-bit mono)640,000 bits/s

Minimum Sampling Rate (Nyquist) vs Maximum Signal Frequency

How to Determine Sampling Rate

The Nyquist theorem states the minimum sampling rate is twice the highest signal frequency.

Formulas

f_sample_min = 2 x f_max

f_sample_practical = Oversampling Ratio x f_max

In practice, engineers oversample (4x to 8x or more) because:

  • Perfect brick-wall anti-aliasing filters do not exist
  • Oversampling reduces quantization noise
  • It allows simpler, cheaper analog filters
  • Example Calculation

    Capture audio up to 20 kHz with 2x oversampling.

    1. 01Minimum (Nyquist): 2 x 20,000 = 40,000 Hz
    2. 02Practical rate: 2 x 20,000 = 40,000 Hz
    3. 03Data rate (16-bit): 40,000 x 16 = 640,000 bits/s = 640 kbps

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