a) The speed (calculated as bits per second) at which the computer sends information to a serial device, such as a modem or terminal.

b) Measure of data flow: the number of signal elements per second.

When each element carries one bit, the baud rate is numerically equal to bits per second (BPS). For example, teletypes transmit at 110 baud. Each character is 11 bits, and the TTY transmits 10 characters per second.

c) The rate at which data is transmitted. The baud rates must match if two devices are to communicate with each other.