throughput

Etymology

From through + put.

noun

1. (networking) The rate at which data is transferred through a system.
2. (operations) The rate of production; the rate at which something can be processed.
   The factory managed a throughput of 120 units per hour.
   if the rate of heating is substantially reduced, not only is the throughput of the apparatus diminished and the cost of the process increased, but the properties of the resultant coke are detrimentally affected. 1927, Harald Nielsen, "Distillation of Carbonaceous Materials" http://www.google.com/patents?id=uPpbAAAAEBAJ&dq=throughput&jtp=1, US Patent 1886262, line 70
   However, many people—including railwaymen—are only beginning to realise how great is the amount of civil engineering work necessary to achieve adequate clearances for high-voltage overhead equipment under bridges and tunnels; what is involved in the re-signalling needed to permit the increased throughput of traffic (in some places it is unavoidable, to afford better sighting of signals obscured by overhead electrical gear); …. 1961 December, “Planning the London Midland main-line electrification”, in Trains Illustrated, page 719
3. (optics) Synonym of etendue.