In
response theory
Response may refer to:
*Call and response (music), musical structure
*Reaction (disambiguation)
*Request–response
**Output or response, the result of telecommunications input
*Response (liturgy), a line answering a versicle
*Response (music) or ...
, the quality of an excited system is related to the number of
excitation frequencies
Excitation, excite, exciting, or excitement may refer to:
* Excitation (magnetic), provided with an electrical generator or alternator
* Excite Ballpark, located in San Jose, California
* Excite (web portal), web portal owned by IAC
* Electron exc ...
to which it can respond. In the case of a homogeneous,
isotropic
Isotropy is uniformity in all orientations; it is derived . Precise definitions depend on the subject area. Exceptions, or inequalities, are frequently indicated by the prefix ' or ', hence ''anisotropy''. ''Anisotropy'' is also used to describe ...
system, the quality is proportional to the
FWHM.
This sense of the phrase is the precursor of the usage of the word in
music theory
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...
. In music theory, quality is the number of
harmonics of a
fundamental frequency of an
instrument (the higher the quality, the richer the
sound).
See also
*
Q factor
In physics and engineering, the quality factor or ''Q'' factor is a dimensionless parameter that describes how underdamped an oscillator or resonator is. It is defined as the ratio of the initial energy stored in the resonator to the energy los ...
Physical quantities
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