Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem
A signal can be reconstructed exactly if it is sampled at more than twice its highest frequency.
At a glance
Key signals
0% cross fields · reaches 1 more
- Signal Processing
- Mathematics
- Information Theory
- Explanation
- Examples
- Misconception
- Sourced relations 3
- Attribution
Dependencies
What this concept builds on and what it makes possible — derived from the atlas’s dependency, causal and structural relations, not from every related edge.
System context
Nyquist–Shannon sampling theoremis part ofInformation theoryEstablished
Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem is part of information theory.
Mechanism: It is a cornerstone of information theory, due to Shannon and Nyquist.
- Wikipedia (English & German editions) verifiedmoderate evidence
Structural role & consequence
Interpreted from the current atlas graph — what the connections mean, not just how many there are.
Currently dark in the atlas: no key date stored · 3 of 3 of its relations lack claim-level evidence.
atlas representation · Describes the current Thinking OS representation, not the state of the world.
Exercises 2 annotated mental models — a concept that connects several thinking patterns.
curated · Curated annotations, not a derived measure.
Structural neighbourhood: 3 → 10 → 28 concepts reachable within 3 hops.
structural · Structural reach — being reachable is not the same as being understood.
All 3 of its relationships stay within its own discipline — a field-specific concept in the current atlas.
structural · Structural graph analysis — not a claim of importance, causation or history.
cross-field
3 within-field, 0 cross-field
Strengths & constraints
Constraints
- Evidence coverage currently thin in the atlas — few of its relationships carry claim-level evidence. atlas representation
- No dated history stored — the atlas records no key date for this concept. atlas representation
Conditions
- Read structurally — most of its relationships carry no external evidence yet, so claims here are graph-derived. structural
Seen through each discipline
How this concept sits in each of its fields — derived from its real connections in the graph, not asserted.
Through this lens it connects to Sampling rate and Aliasing.
Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem through the Signal Processing lens →
Through this lens it connects to Information theory.
Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem through the Mathematics lens →
Through this lens it connects to Information theory.
Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem through the Information Theory lens →
Formula
Source: Wikidata
Related ideas to explore
Concepts that look related but are not yet connected here — candidates for a connection to reason about, not established links.
This idea also appears in…
The same structure shows up in other disciplines. These are real recurrences drawn from the graph — a starting point for asking “what carries over, and what changes?”
Information35 disciplines · 32 concepts
Constraints33 disciplines · 19 concepts
Concepts
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
Mental models at work here
Information
Anything that reduces uncertainty. It can be encoded into a signal, sent across a channel, and decoded — and noise can corrupt it on the way.
Ask: what did the receiver not know before, and what does the message let them rule out?
Constraints
Limits that decide what is possible. Usually one binding constraint — the bottleneck — governs the outcome until it is relieved.
Find the one limit that is actually holding things back; loosening anything else changes nothing.
- Connects 3 other ideas across 3 disciplines.
- Most of its connections are of the “Kind & structure” kind.
- It exercises 2 reusable thinking patterns.
Derived from the graph’s real structure — observations, not a score.
Sources
- Wikipedia (English & German editions) verifiedmoderate evidence
- A Generalized Nyquist-Shannon Sampling Theorem Using the Koopman Operator (2024) verified
- Symmetric Sampling and the Discrete Laws of Physics (1) Refuting the Classical Shannon-Nyquist Sampling Theorem (2024) verified