Figure of Merit
- Page ID
- 77462
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Why is Noise Unwanted?
Noise degrades the accuracy and precision of a signal, and therefore our knowledge about how much analyte is present.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N): A Figure of Merit
The quality of a signal may be expressed by its signal-to-noise ratio
\[\mathrm{\dfrac{S}{N} = \dfrac{mean}{standard\: deviation} = \dfrac{\bar{x}}{σ}}\]