Quality factor of an inductor or
capacitor. It is the ratio of a
component's reactance (energy
stored) to its effective series
resistance (energy dissipated).
For a tuned circuit, a figure of
merrit used in bandwidth
calculations. Q is the ratio of
reactive power to resistive
power in a tuned circuit. Also
the symbol for charge in
coulombs (Q for quantity).
quiescent
At rest. For an amplifier the
term is used to describe a
condition with no active input
signal.
quiescent point
(Q point) A point on the DC load
line of a given amplifier that
represents the quiescent (no
signal) value of output voltage
and current for the circuit.
