Nyquist rate

Nyquist rate is the minimum sampling rate required to accurately capture a signal without losing information during the digitization process. It is named after the American engineer Harry Nyquist, who formulated the sampling theorem in the 1920s.

The Nyquist rate states that the sampling rate must be at least twice the highest frequency component in the signal being sampled. This means that if a signal has a maximum frequency component of f_max, the minimum sampling rate required to accurately capture the signal is 2*f_max. This is known as the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem.

Sampling at a rate lower than the Nyquist rate can result in aliasing, where high frequency components are folded back into the lower frequency range, leading to distortion and loss of information. In practice, it is common to sample at a rate higher than the Nyquist rate to provide a safety margin and ensure accurate representation of the signal.

Nyquist rate is an important concept in digital signal processing, where it is used in a variety of applications such as audio and video processing, telecommunications, and medical imaging.