seismic response coefficient cs

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seismic response coefficient cs
can anyone tell me what the seismic response coefficient of a structure means (cs)?  what does it represent?  i know that v=csxw, but does anyone know an explanation for cs?
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cs is the the equivalent lateral load factor.
the dynamic character of seismic loads is simplified to a horizontal force in the equivalent lateral load proceedure.  because the amount of force is dependent on the mass of the object (w), the code simplifies the calculation to be a certain percent of w.  we call that cs.  cs is dependent on five things:
geography or simply the ground acceleration (sds & sd1).
the response modification factor (r)
the importance factor of your structure (i)
the approximate fundamental period of your structure(ta, but also cuta)
the long period (only valid for 05 asce 7 and later).
it's the "a" in f=ma.
great analogy, ucfse. i would just clarify that the acceleration cs is in units of g because w is the seismic weight, not mass.