Final answer:
The anticipated incidence of failure for a system or component is measured by the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), which is used to estimate the reliability of the system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The measure of the anticipated incidence of failure for a system or component is known as the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF). MTBF is a reliability metric used in engineering to provide a probabilistic estimate of the time between inherent failures of a system during operation. The higher the MTBF, the more reliable the component or system is considered to be. MTBF does not account for scheduled maintenance or repairs, but rather focuses on unexpected breakdowns or malfunctions.
MTBF can be calculated using the formula: MTBF = Total operating time / Number of failures. This helps in planning maintenance, predicting system reliability, and managing inventory of spare parts. To answer the question, option C, MTBF, is the correct term that describes the measure of the anticipated incidence of failure for a system or component.