Which statement best describes how duty factor is expressed?

Which statement best describes how duty factor is expressed?

• A. Measured in watts
• B. Equal to pulse duration
• C. Equal to PRP
• D. Expressed as a percentage of time the system transmits during a cycle

Answer: (D)

Duty factor describes how much of each cycle the transmitter is actually on. It’s the ratio of transmit time to the total cycle time, so it’s a dimensionless quantity that’s usually expressed as a percentage. You compute it as pulse duration divided by the pulse repetition period, then multiply by 100. For example, a 0.5 ms pulse within a 5 ms cycle gives 0.5/5 = 0.1, or 10%. This shows why describing duty factor as a percentage of time the system transmits during a cycle is the best fit. It’s not a measure of power (watts), it’s not simply the pulse duration, and it’s not the full cycle time (PRP) itself.

Duty factor describes how much of each cycle the transmitter is actually on. It’s the ratio of transmit time to the total cycle time, so it’s a dimensionless quantity that’s usually expressed as a percentage. You compute it as pulse duration divided by the pulse repetition period, then multiply by 100. For example, a 0.5 ms pulse within a 5 ms cycle gives 0.5/5 = 0.1, or 10%. This shows why describing duty factor as a percentage of time the system transmits during a cycle is the best fit. It’s not a measure of power (watts), it’s not simply the pulse duration, and it’s not the full cycle time (PRP) itself.