We explain what efficiency is and some of its main characteristics. In addition, the meanings it has in various fields.
What is efficiency?
The word efficiency It comes from the Latin efficientĭa. In general, the concept can be defined as the ability to guide something or someone with the objective to reach a certain goal with the most rational use of resources.
The concept of efficiency can be expanded according to the discipline from which it will be used.
For example, in the economic sphere, reference is made to the productive sector of a business. It is understood that a production process is more efficient than another when its economic benefits are superior to the others. The way to express efficiency is through economic values and not according to the quantity of articles produced. This requires using the least amount of resources and also reducing the costs of its use.
Efficiency in other areas
On the other hand, from the biology efficiency is spoken of as the ratio between the entry and exit of a resource and a product. This term is very dynamic since it results from a comparison. Also thanks to the new technologies Today's parameters may be very different from those of just a few decades. For example, the production of milk from cows or eggs from chickens is not the same as thirty years ago, they have increased significantly.
In the physical efficiency is understood as the ratio between the Energy useful and energy invested in a process or machinery. In recent years environmentalists have turned their attention in this direction to achieve greater energy savings through greater efficiency. It is considered that one of the great factors of pollution is the production of energy for it are raised Projects where there is greater efficiency in three planes, state, industrial and residential energy efficiency.
In the discipline of statistics the term efficiency is used to refer to the margin of error of a statistic. When deciding what type of statistics will be used for a certain study, logically those that are estimated to have a lower margin of error will be chosen, in this way the results will have greater agreement with the reality.
From medicine, efficiency is understood as the production of services and medical goods that have a lower economic cost, but whose value is high socially, that is, when using it. What is intended is that the investments carried out have a great use and their performance is the best possible.
In the farming this term is related to the irrigation system. When it is effective, a smaller amount of Water and it is also taken from the nearest water currents, earning weather and avoiding expenses. For this, these sources must be in good condition, that is, they cannot be affected by fertilizers or pesticides. This efficiency allows a greater amount of land to be cultivated and its production to be higher.