How Do You Calculate Frequency from Period?

  • Thread starter Thread starter andrey21
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Period
Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating frequency from a given period, specifically in the context of signal processing and filter design. The original poster mentions a period of 10 to 11 years and seeks to determine the corresponding frequency, while also considering the implications for designing a low pass filter.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Problem interpretation, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between period and frequency using the formula T = 1/f. Questions arise regarding the conversion of period from years to Hertz and the implications for filter design.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively discussing the conversion of period to frequency and the design of a low pass filter. Some guidance has been offered regarding the relationship between frequency and period, as well as considerations for filter design, but there is no explicit consensus on the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

There are mentions of specific constraints such as the sampling interval of one month and the need to express the cutoff frequency in a dimensionless scale on the 0 to PI scale. Participants also question the terminology used, particularly regarding the term "cutoff frequency" and its relation to the Nyquist frequency.

andrey21
Messages
475
Reaction score
0
Given I know the period of a signal how do I find the frequency






Heres what I know

Period = 10 years so using T = 1/f where f = frequency would that give me 1/10??
 
Physics news on Phys.org


Please any feedback would be great.
 


andrey21 said:
Given I know the period of a signal how do I find the frequency






Heres what I know

Period = 10 years so using T = 1/f where f = frequency would that give me 1/10??

The standard unit of frequency is Hz (Hertz), which is 1/seconds. Not 1/years.

Can you convert the period of 10 years into Hz? (It will be a very small number)
 


Thank you for moving my post berkeman, I think I may have made an error with the question. I was asked to determine the frequency that corresponds to the period observed in a data set. Given the period is 10 years, I am basically trying to find the cutoff frequency. If that makes any sense.
 


andrey21 said:
Thank you for moving my post berkeman, I think I may have made an error with the question. I was asked to determine the frequency that corresponds to the period observed in a data set. Given the period is 10 years, I am basically trying to find the cutoff frequency. If that makes any sense.

Doesn't make sense to me yet. What do you mean by cutoff frequency? I'm familiar with that term in filter design. What is the dataset?
 


Yes well I have been asked to design a low pass filter, given that i know period of 10 years and sampling interval of 1 month.
 


andrey21 said:
Yes well I have been asked to design a low pass filter, given that i know period of 10 years and sampling interval of 1 month.

What order digital filter do you plan to design? Which polynomial will you choose and why?

Other than the very low frequencies involved, it sounds like a straightforward digital filter design.
 


Well I've been told either 4 or 5th order. What do you mean by polynomial?
 
Last edited by a moderator:


andrey21 said:
Well I've been told either 4 or 5th order. What do you mean by polynomial?

The filter functions are polynomial functions, and there are several different forms of the polynomials to choose from. You choose which one (like Cheby, Butterworth, etc.) based on what you are trying to optimize in your filter's response.

More here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_(signal_processing )

.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #10
Oh I understand I was planning on using a Butterworth filter.
 
  • #11
I actually have a programme tht will do most of the calculation for me I just need to work out a cutoff frequency and the order which is either 4 or 5.
 
  • #12
andrey21 said:
I actually have a programme tht will do most of the calculation for me I just need to work out a cutoff frequency and the order which is either 4 or 5.

Well, what do you think you should choose for a cutoff frequency? What is the tradeoff with a Butterworth filter in choosing the cutoff closer and closer to the frequency region of interest?
 
  • #13
Im not to sure but I have to get it in terms of degrees, for example 0.2PI = 36 degrees etc...
 
  • #14
andrey21 said:
Im not to sure but I have to get it in terms of degrees, for example 0.2PI = 36 degrees etc...

Sorry, get what in terms of degrees? Degrees would relate to some phase. But you are asking about filtering in the time domain according to a frequency characteristic (the filter)...
 
  • #15
Rite I think I am nt explaining myself very well so I will read the question. Using the figure (period) as a filter cutoff period together with known sampling interval (1 month) design a low pass filter to remove higher frequencies.
 
  • #16
andrey21 said:
Rite I think I am nt explaining myself very well so I will read the question. Using the figure (period) as a filter cutoff period together with known sampling interval (1 month) design a low pass filter to remove higher frequencies.

Can you post a copy of the figure?
 
  • #17
Figure? U mean the period? If so it is 11 years.
 
  • #18
andrey21 said:
Rite I think I am nt explaining myself very well so I will read the question. Using the figure (period) as a filter cutoff period together with known sampling interval (1 month) design a low pass filter to remove higher frequencies.

andrey21 said:
Figure? U mean the period? If so it is 11 years.

No, you said "using the figure", so I thought there was a figure that graphed the data as s function of time. It must be a semantics thing -- it looks like the word figure was used as a synonym of period?

So they want you to use the number given as the period to come up with the cutoff frequency. Well, that's just the simple math we talked about at the beginning of the thread. Use your f = 1/T equation, and be careful to use units of Hz (1/s) for frequency. You will get a cutoff frequency of some number much less than 1Hz, but that doesn't matter.

Then just use your filter design software to design the coefficients for the Butterworth polynomial. Are you using an FIR or IIR digital filter?
 
  • #19
So I have to convert 1/11 years into Hz per second?
 
  • #20
andrey21 said:
So I have to convert 1/11 years into Hz per second?

1/(11 years) = 1/(how many seconds?) = ?? * 10^-?? Hz
 
  • #21
Hi berkeman I think the answer you are trying to help me find isn't the correct one, having re read the question and the information provided.

Basically I have:

A period of 11 years

A Nyquist frequency of 1/2 month (as sampling interval is one month, using 1/2(delta t)
I am asked to convert the cutoff frequency on the 0 to PI scale?

Does that sound correct to you?

Thanks in advance.
 
  • #22
andrey21 said:
Hi berkeman I think the answer you are trying to help me find isn't the correct one, having re read the question and the information provided.

Basically I have:

A period of 11 years

A Nyquist frequency of 1/2 month (as sampling interval is one month, using 1/2(delta t)
I am asked to convert the cutoff frequency on the 0 to PI scale?

Does that sound correct to you?

Thanks in advance.

No, not sounding right. First, "frequency" is not plotted on any "0 to PI scale" that I'm familiar with. Phase angle can be plotted on such a scale, but I don't know what you mean by plotting frequency on a phase scale.

And when you make a lowpass filter to help avoid aliasing (or whatever), you want to pass the frequencies of interest, and block frequencies at the sampling frequency and above. The Nyquist frequency is twice the highest signal content frequency, so in this case it would be twice 1/T, or twice 1/11 years. They just happen to be oversampling in this problem, sampling at 12 * 11 the signal period.
 
  • #23
Ok well a more general question then, if a period is 11 years then the frequency is the reciprocal which is 1/11 years, correct?
 
  • #24
berkeman said:
1/(11 years) = 1/(how many seconds?) = ?? * 10^-?? Hz

andrey21 said:
Ok well a more general question then, if a period is 11 years then the frequency is the reciprocal which is 1/11 years, correct?

Correct. Usually frequency is expressed in Hz.
 
  • #25
Ok well I am supposed to use this along with the period and the nyquist frequency to establish a cutoff frequency like I mentioned above into dimensionless scales on the 0 to Pi scale.
 

Similar threads

Replies
15
Views
3K
Replies
6
Views
1K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
3K
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 139 ·
5
Replies
139
Views
11K
Replies
8
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 33 ·
2
Replies
33
Views
4K