Radian per second

The radian per second (symbol: rad⋅s⁻¹ or rad/s) is the SI unit of angular velocity, commonly denoted by the Greek letter ω (omega). The radian per second is also the SI unit of angular frequency. The radian per second is defined as the change in the orientation of an object, in radians, every second.

Radian per second
Angular frequency ω (in radians per second), is larger than frequency ν (in cycles per second, also called Hz), by a factor of 2π, because 2π rad/s corresponds to 1 Hz.
General information
Unit system	SI derived unit
Unit of	rotational speed
Symbol	rad/s or rad⋅s−1

The angular frequency of one radian per second is equivalent to an ordinary frequency of 1/(2π) hertz, or cycles per second. This is because one cycle of a rotating object is an angular rotation of one turn (360 degrees), which equals 2π radians. Since the radian is a dimensionless unit in the SI, the radian per second is dimensionally equivalent to the hertz—both are defined as s⁻¹.

One radian per second is also equivalent to about 9.55 revolutions per minute.

Angular frequency ω	(Ordinary) frequency ${\displaystyle \nu =\omega /{2\pi }}$
2π radians per second	exactly 1 hertz (Hz)
1 radian per second	approximately 0.159155 Hz
1 radian per second	approximately 57.29578 degrees per second
1 radian per second	approximately 9.5493 revolutions per minute (rpm)
0.1047 radians per second	approximately 1 rpm

A use of the unit radian per second is in calculation of the power transmitted by a shaft. In the International System of Units, widely used in physics and engineering, the power p is equal to the rotational speed ω (in radians per second) multiplied by the torque τ applied to the shaft, in newton-metres. Thus, p = ω ⋅ τ, and the unit is the watt, with no numerical coefficient needed. In other systems, an additional factor may be necessary. For example, if one multiplies angular velocity in revolutions per minute (rpm) by the torque in pound-feet, then a factor is needed to convert the result to units of horsepower.