Shape factor may refer to one of number of values in physics, engineering, or image analysis. Typically, a shape factor refers to a value that is affected by an object's shape but is independent of its dimensions.
In physics:
- Shape factor, or shaping factor, a performance measure for filters such as band-pass filters
- Shape factor of crystallites, a term in the Scherrer equation used in X-ray diffraction
- The view factor in the field of radiative heat transfer
In engineering:
- Shape factor (boundary layer flow)
- Structural indices derived from falling weight deflectometer data
In image analysis:
- Shape factor (image analysis and microscopy) including:
- The compactness measure of a shape
Famous quotes containing the words shape and/or factor:
“Strange that so few ever come to the woods to see how the pine lives and grows and spires, lifting its evergreen arms to the light,—to see its perfect success; but most are content to behold it in the shape of many broad boards brought to market, and deem that its true success! But the pine is no more lumber than man is, and to be made into boards and houses is no more its true and highest use than the truest use of a man is to be cut down and made into manure.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Weapons are an important factor in war, but not the decisive factor; it is people, not things, that are decisive. The contest of strength is not only a contest of military and economic power, but also a contest of human power and morale. Military and economic power is necessarily wielded by people.”
—Mao Zedong (1893–1976)