(idiomatic, engineering) A quantity introduced to compensate for uncertainty. / (idiomatic) Any padding or compensation built into a guess or estimate.

(electrical, engineering) The ratio of the actual power to the apparent power in an alternating current power system; specifically, the cosine of the phase angle between the voltage and the current.

(engineering) The ratio of the maximum stress or load which something can withstand to the stress or load which it was designed to withstand under normal operation.

(biochemistry) A signalling protein that regulates vasculogenesis.

(biochemistry) Any of various substances that cause apoptosis in cells

The lure of another home, country, region, organization, or religion.

simple past tense and past participle of factor

(science fiction) A hypothetical figure describing a speed of one light-year per hour.

An experiment in which all combinations of multiple parameters or variables are each tested

(aviation) The load factor necessary for an airline to break even. It is a function of the percent of seats filled at a particular yield versus the airlines operating costs.