Why are transistors called "Q"?

[Gordon JC Pearce]

Roger Merchberger wrote:
> Rumor has it that James Fogg may have mentioned these words:
> 
>> Also, isn't the gain of a transistor called "Q"? Or some other
>> characteristic?
> 
> 
> Offtopically, but not nearly so as in the past few "discussions"[1]:
> 
> Q is a measurement of Ham Radio antennae -- altho just perzactly what 
> it's supposed to measure I'm not 100% sure. (I'm sure I could google for 
> it...)
> 

My late father explained to me once it as a measurement of how "good" 
the resonance is - higher the Q, sharper the peak of the resonance.  It 
applies more to tuned circuits.

In fact, on some analogue synthesizers, the filter resonance is labelled 
Q.  Not on any of the ones I've got, because that would make it too easy 
to show you, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it.  Possibly on a Cheetah 
MS-6, or maybe old Sequential Circuits gear.  Come to that, I've seen it 
on old analogue mixing desks as part of the parametric EQ.

Gordon.