Editing Parameter (section)

==Engineering==<!-- This section is linked from [[RLC circuit]] -->
In [[engineering]] (especially involving data acquisition) the term ''parameter'' sometimes loosely refers to an individual measured item. This usage is not consistent, as sometimes the term ''channel'' refers to an individual measured item, with ''parameter'' referring to the setup information about that channel.

"Speaking generally, '''properties''' are those physical quantities which directly describe the physical attributes of the system; '''parameters''' are those combinations of the properties which suffice to determine the response of the system. Properties can have all sorts of dimensions, depending upon the system being considered; parameters are dimensionless, or have the dimension of time or its reciprocal."<ref>{{cite book |first=John D. |last=Trimmer |year=1950 |title=Response of Physical Systems |location=New York |publisher=Wiley |page=13 }}</ref>

The term can also be used in engineering contexts, however, as it is typically used in the physical sciences.