rms

Rms (often written RMS) is an acronym used in several fields. The most common references are root mean square, the ship prefix Royal Mail Ship, and various management systems designated by RMS in their respective domains.

Root mean square is a statistical measure of the magnitude of a varying quantity. For a set of values x1, x2, ..., xn, the RMS is defined as the square root of the arithmetic mean of the squares: sqrt[(1/n) Σ xi^2]. RMS provides an effective size or power of a signal or quantity, particularly for alternating quantities where positive and negative values cancel in an average. It is widely used in physics and engineering to characterize AC voltages or currents, waveforms, and noise, as well as in statistics and data analysis as a measure of dispersion.

The prefix Royal Mail Ship, abbreviated RMS, is used for ships that carried mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. Historically, vessels with this designation were ocean-going liners serving postal routes, and the prefix signified mail-carrying duties in addition to passenger or freight service. Notable examples include RMS Titanic and RMS Queen Mary.

In modern usage RMS also appears as an acronym for various systems and software such as risk management system, record management system, revenue management system, and resource management system. In each domain, the exact meaning depends on context, but they generally refer to software or processes for organizing, evaluating, or controlling assets, information, or operations.