Sampling frequency, measured in Hertz (Hz), indicates how often a signal is sampled or measured over time. It is a critical factor in digital signal processing and various applications, including audio, video, and data acquisition systems. Choosing the appropriate sampling frequency is essential to accurately capture and represent the signal of interest.
The Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem establishes a fundamental relationship between the sampling frequency and the highest frequency component present in the signal. According to the theorem, the sampling frequency must be at least twice the maximum frequency component to avoid aliasing, a phenomenon where higher frequency components are incorrectly represented as lower frequency components. Selecting a sampling frequency significantly higher than the Nyquist rate ensures faithful signal reconstruction while providing a margin for potential frequency variations.
