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The radian per second is the SI unit of angular velocity, commonly denoted by the Greek letter ω. 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.
The angular frequency of one radian per second is equivalent to an ordinary frequency of 1/ hertz, or cycles per second. This is because one cycle of a rotating object is an angular rotation of one turn , 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.
One radian per second is also equivalent to about 9.55 revolutions per minute.
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 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 by the torque in pound-feet, then a factor is needed to convert the result to units of horsepower.