Convert MHz to ns, the period of one cycle (ns = 1000 ÷ MHz), or ns to MHz, with an optional number of cycles and results in Hz, kHz and GHz.
Quick overview: Frequency describes how many cycles occur each second, while period describes how long one cycle lasts.
For a frequency in MHz, the time for one cycle in ns is:
ns = 1000 / MHz
Examples:
- 1 MHz = 1000 ns
- 10 MHz = 100 ns
- 50 MHz = 20 ns
- 100 MHz = 10 ns
- 250 MHz = 4 ns
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Calculator Functions
| Function | What it does | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| MHz to ns (period) | Converts a frequency to the time of one cycle in nanoseconds | Requires the signal frequency |
| ns to MHz (frequency) | Converts the time of one cycle to a frequency in megahertz | Requires the elapsed time |
Frequency goes in as Hz, kHz, MHz or GHz, and time as s, ms, µs, ns or ps. The optional Number of cycles starts at 1, which gives the period of a single cycle. A larger count gives the time for that many cycles, or the frequency when the entered time covers several cycles. Results also show the time in seconds, milliseconds, microseconds and picoseconds, or the frequency in Hz, kHz and GHz.
MHz to ns Formulas
| ns | Period of one cycle (nanoseconds) |
| MHz | Frequency (megahertz) |
The period of a signal is the reciprocal of its frequency [1]. One megahertz is a million cycles a second and one nanosecond is a billionth of a second [2], which leaves the factor of 1000.
MHz to ns (period)
100 MHz is 1000 ÷ 100 = 10 ns, 50 MHz is 20 ns and 1 MHz is 1000 ns.
| Frequency | Period |
|---|---|
| 1 MHz | 1000 ns |
| 2 MHz | 500 ns |
| 5 MHz | 200 ns |
| 8 MHz | 125 ns |
| 10 MHz | 100 ns |
| 20 MHz | 50 ns |
| 25 MHz | 40 ns |
| 40 MHz | 25 ns |
| 50 MHz | 20 ns |
| 80 MHz | 12.5 ns |
| 100 MHz | 10 ns |
| 125 MHz | 8 ns |
| 150 MHz | 6.667 ns |
| 200 MHz | 5 ns |
| 250 MHz | 4 ns |
| 300 MHz | 3.333 ns |
| 400 MHz | 2.5 ns |
| 500 MHz | 2 ns |
| 800 MHz | 1.25 ns |
| 1000 MHz (1 GHz) | 1 ns |
C is the number of cycles. 5 cycles at 100 MHz take 50 ns.
ns to MHz (frequency)
A 10 ns period is 1000 ÷ 10 = 100 MHz, 20 ns is 50 MHz and 100 ns is 10 MHz.
| Period | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 1 ns | 1000 MHz |
| 2 ns | 500 MHz |
| 2.5 ns | 400 MHz |
| 4 ns | 250 MHz |
| 5 ns | 200 MHz |
| 8 ns | 125 MHz |
| 10 ns | 100 MHz |
| 20 ns | 50 MHz |
| 25 ns | 40 MHz |
| 40 ns | 25 MHz |
| 50 ns | 20 MHz |
| 80 ns | 12.5 MHz |
| 100 ns | 10 MHz |
| 200 ns | 5 MHz |
Limits of This Estimate
- The conversion is for an ideal signal that repeats evenly. Jitter, settling time, latency and propagation delay in a real circuit are not part of it.
- A period is the full cycle. For a clock with a 50% duty cycle, the high time and the low time are each half of it.
Sources
- NIST, Time and Frequency from A to Z: F: period is the reciprocal of frequency
- NIST, Metric (SI) Prefixes: mega is 10⁶ and nano is 10⁻⁹
