Surface roughness often shortened to roughness, is a component of surface texture. It is quantified by the deviations in the direction of the normal vector of a real surface from its ideal form. If these deviations are large, the surface is rough; if they are small, the surface is smooth. Roughness is typically considered to be the high-frequency, short-wavelength component of a measured surface (see surface metrology). However, in practice it is often necessary to know both the amplitude and frequency to ensure that a surface is fit for a purpose.