A Figure of merit is a quantity used to characterize the performance of a device relative to other devices of the same type. It is often used as a marketing tool to convince consumers to choose a particular brand.

Examples

• Clock rate of a CPU
• Contrast ratio of an LCD
• Frequency response of a speaker
• Fill factor of a solar panel
• Resolution of the CCD in a digital camera
• Detection performance of a sonar system

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Clock signal. ... CPU can stand for: in computing: Central processing unit in journalism: Commonwealth Press Union in law enforcement: Crime prevention unit in software: Critical patch update, a type of software patch distributed by Oracle Corporation in Macleans College is often known as Ash Lim. ... The contrast ratio is a measure of a display system, defined as the ratio of the luminosity of the brightest color(White) to that of the darkest color(black) that the system is capable of producing. ... LCD redirects here. ... Frequency response is the measure of any systems response to frequency, but is usually used in connection with electronic amplifiers and similar systems, particularly in relation to audio signals. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... The fill factor is defined as the ratio of the maximum power (Vmp x Jmp) divided by the short-circuit current (Isc) and open-circuit voltage (Voc) in light current density - voltage (J-V) characteristics of solar cells. ... A laundromat in California with flat-plate solar water heating collectors on its roof. ... Image resolution describes the detail an image holds. ... A specially developed CCD used for ultraviolet imaging in a wire bonded package. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... French F70 type frigates (here, La Motte-Picquet) are fitted with VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) type DUBV43 or DUBV43C towed sonars SONAR (SOund Navigation And Ranging) â€” or sonar â€” is a technique that uses sound propagation under water (primarily) to navigate, communicate or to detect other vessels. ...

Deception

A figure of merit is often not enough to determine performance when comparing products, yet consumers may solely depend on a figure of merit for selection. For example, when purchasing a laptop a consumer could choose based on the capacity of its hard drive. The rpm, cache, and seek times may not be notated, but significantly affect performance.