A parameter that causes a delay between a change in the device input and a change in the output is called ________?

A parameter that causes a delay between a change in the device input and a change in the output is called ________?

• A. Damping
• B. Gain
• C. Lag
• D. Inertia

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how a system’s output follows an input change after a short delay. That delay is described as lag (also known as dead time) in control and instrumentation terminology. It means there’s a time gap between when the input changes and when the output starts to respond. Damping, on the other hand, governs how the system settles after the response begins—how quickly oscillations die out and how stable the final value is. It affects overshoot and settling time, not the initial delay itself. Inertia refers to the resistance to change due to mass or mechanical/actuator limitations; it can slow response, but it isn’t the specific term for the delay between input and output. Gain is simply the amplification factor, unrelated to any time delay. So the best match for a parameter that causes a delay between input change and output change is lag.

The idea being tested is how a system’s output follows an input change after a short delay. That delay is described as lag (also known as dead time) in control and instrumentation terminology. It means there’s a time gap between when the input changes and when the output starts to respond.

Damping, on the other hand, governs how the system settles after the response begins—how quickly oscillations die out and how stable the final value is. It affects overshoot and settling time, not the initial delay itself.

Inertia refers to the resistance to change due to mass or mechanical/actuator limitations; it can slow response, but it isn’t the specific term for the delay between input and output. Gain is simply the amplification factor, unrelated to any time delay.

So the best match for a parameter that causes a delay between input change and output change is lag.