megacycle per second
Noun: - A unit of frequency equal to one million cycles per second. It is a measurement of the number of repeated events (cycles) occurring in one second, scaled by one million. This term is largely historical, having been superseded by the SI unit 'megahertz'.
This term functions exclusively as a noun, specifically a unit noun. It is used in technical and scientific contexts, particularly in electronics, telecommunications, and physics, to describe high frequencies. - It is typically preceded by a numerical value (e.g., ten megacycles per second). - It can be abbreviated as Mc/s or Mcps.
- The term is considered obsolete in modern technical language. The equivalent and preferred modern term is megahertz (MHz), where 1 megacycle per second = 1 megahertz.
- It may appear in historical documents, older technical manuals, or in discussions about the history of technology.
- Megahertz (MHz): The contemporary SI unit for frequency, meaning one million hertz (cycles per second). This is the direct modern equivalent.
- Kilocycle per second: A historical unit for one thousand cycles per second, now called a kilohertz (kHz).
- Cycle per second: The base historical unit, now called a hertz (Hz).
- Megahertz (MHz): The modern, standard synonym.
- Mc/s: A common historical abbreviation.
- Mcps: A less common historical abbreviation.
This term has only one specific technical meaning: a unit of frequency. It does not have idiomatic or figurative uses. Its usage is purely quantitative and descriptive within scientific measurement.
- one million periods per second