Waves

Quality Factor (Q Factor)

Measure of how underdamped an oscillator is; higher Q means less energy loss per cycle.

Variables

Q
Quality factor
Dimensionless
unitless
ω₀
Natural angular frequency
Undamped frequency
rad/s
b
Damping coefficient
Damping constant
kg/s
m
Mass
Oscillating mass
kg
Δω
Resonance bandwidth
Width at half-power
rad/s

Derivation

Q = 2π × (energy stored)/(energy lost per cycle) = ω₀m/b = ω₀/Δω.

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