coefficient
In math and science, a coefficient is a constant term related to the properties of a product. In the equation that measures friction, for example, the number that always stays the same is the coefficient.
In plain English, coefficient means “joining together to produce a result.” Sometimes people use the word to talk about social phenomena, like the coefficient factors of vanity and self-loathing in a celebrity’s alcoholic demise. But mostly you’ll encounter it in math and science. In algebra, the coefficient is the number that you multiply a variable by, like the 4 in 4x=y. In chemistry, when you see a number in front of a chemical like 2H2o, you’re looking at the coefficient.
a constant number that serves as a measure of some property or characteristic
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types:
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absorptance, absorption coefficient, coefficient of absorptiona measure of the rate of decrease in the intensity of electromagnetic radiation (as light) as it passes through a given substance; the fraction of incident radiant energy absorbed per unit mass or thickness of an absorber
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coefficient of drag, drag coefficientthe ratio of the drag on a body moving through air to the product of the velocity and the surface area of the body
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coefficient of frictionthe ratio of the weight of an object being moved along a surface and the force that maintains contact between the object and the surface
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coefficient of mutual induction, mutual inductancea measure of the induction between two circuits; the ratio of the electromotive force in a circuit to the corresponding change of current in a neighboring circuit; usually measured in henries
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coefficient of self induction, self-inductancethe ratio of the electromotive force produced in a circuit by self-induction to the rate of change of current producing it, expressed in henries
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modulus(physics) a coefficient that expresses how much of a specified property is possessed by a specified substance
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coefficient of expansion, expansivitythe fractional change in length or area or volume per unit change in temperature at a given constant pressure
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coefficient of reflection, reflectance, reflection factor, reflectivitythe fraction of radiant energy that is reflected from a surface
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transmission, transmittancethe fraction of radiant energy that passes through a substance
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absolute viscosity, coefficient of viscosity, dynamic viscositya measure of the resistance to flow of a fluid under an applied force
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weight, weighting(statistics) a coefficient assigned to elements of a frequency distribution in order to represent their relative importance
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coefficient of elasticity, elastic modulus, modulus of elasticity(physics) the ratio of the applied stress to the change in shape of an elastic body
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type of:
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constanta number representing a quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context