Nyquist Sampling Rate Calculator
Enter a signal frequency to get the minimum sample rate, or enter a sample rate to find the maximum recoverable frequency — with aliasing explained.
Result
Enter a value and click Calculate.
Minimum Sample Rate
Input Frequency
Nyquist Frequency (fs/2)
Formula Applied
Aliasing — What Happens Below the Nyquist Rate
When sampling rate fs < 2 × f_max, frequency components above fs/2 fold back into the spectrum. A 1.2 kHz tone sampled at 2 kHz (Nyquist: 1 kHz) reappears as a false 0.8 kHz tone — an alias.
An anti-aliasing filter (low-pass, cutoff at fs/2) placed before the ADC eliminates this by removing energy above the Nyquist frequency before sampling occurs.
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Summary
Enter a signal frequency to get the minimum sample rate, or enter a sample rate to find the maximum recoverable frequency — with aliasing explained.
How it works
- Choose a mode: "Frequency → Sample Rate" to find the minimum sampling rate, or "Sample Rate → Max Frequency" to find the Nyquist frequency.
- Enter the signal frequency or sample rate value and select the unit (Hz, kHz, MHz).
- The result and Nyquist frequency appear instantly.
- Read the aliasing section to understand what happens when sampling below the Nyquist rate.
- Use the presets (audio CD, telephone, Wi-Fi, etc.) as reference starting points.
Use cases
- Determine the correct ADC sample rate when digitizing an analog signal.
- Verify that an audio system samples fast enough for the frequency range it must capture.
- Understand why aliasing artifacts appear in under-sampled signals.
- Teaching the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem in DSP or communications courses.
- Check sample-rate requirements for RF, radar, or sensor data acquisition.
- Reverse-calculate the maximum signal frequency a given sample rate can reconstruct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated: 2026-06-11 ·
Reviewed by Nham Vu