sample rate (digital signal processing) The number of times an analog signal is measured (sampled) per second. The unit of sample rate is "samples per second". This is often expressed in kiloHertz (kHz). For example, "CD quality" sound has a sample rate of 44 kHz.
Compare data rate. See Nyquist frequency. [Is it correct to use Hertz for things other than the frequency of a sine wave?] Last updated: 2001-06-06