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.
