Abbreviation for megahertz, a unit of frequency equal to one million hertz or cycles per second. Commonly used to measure radio frequencies, computer processor speeds, and electromagnetic waves.
Named after German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894), who proved the existence of electromagnetic waves. The prefix 'mega-' comes from Greek 'megas' meaning 'great' or 'large'.
Your microwave oven operates at 2,450 MHz, the same frequency that excites water molecules and causes them to vibrate rapidly, generating heat. Early radio astronomy discovered that hydrogen gas in space naturally emits radiation at 1420.405 MHz—a frequency so important it's been proposed as a universal unit of measurement for communicating with extraterrestrial life.
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