Information about Constant

In mathematics and the mathematical sciences, a constant is a fixed, but possibly unspecified, value. This is in contrast to a variable, which is not fixed.

Unspecified constants

The most widely mentioned sort of constant is a fixed, but possibly unspecified number. For example, consider "c" in the Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2. Here, "c" is the hypotenuse of a right triangle. Though the exact value of "c" is unspecified, it always represents the hypotenuse in the Pythagorean Theorem (while a and b are interchangeable [as far as the theorem is concerned] and represent the other two sides of the triangle).

Usually the term constant is used in connection with mathematical functions of one or more variable parameters. These parameters, or other variables, are often called x, y, or z, using lowercase letters from the end of the Latin alphabet. Constants are, by convention, usually denoted by lowercase letters from the beginning of the Latin alphabet, such as a, b, and c.

Specified constants

Of course, some constants have special symbols, because they are specified, such as 1 or π. A special case of this may be found in physics, chemistry, and related fields, where certain features of the natural world that are described by numbers are found to have the same value at all times and places.

For example, in Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, we have the mass-energy equivalence formula

E = mc².


Here, the letter c stands for the speed of light in a vacuum, a constant physical quantity which is the same in all physical situations (to the best of current knowledge).

In contrast, the letter m stands for the mass of an object, which could be anything, so it is a variable. E stands for the object's rest energy, another variable, and the formula defines a function that gives rest energy in terms of mass.

In computer science, a specified constant is sometimes called an immediate. Immediates are simply a number, rather than a symbol. For example, in the phrase x=45, "45" is an immediate, while "x" is a variable that is assigned the constant value 45.

Constant term

A constant term is a number that appears as an addend in a formula, such as
Here the constant c is the constant term of the function f. The value of c has not been specified in this formula, but it must be a specific value for f to be a specific function.

The constant term may depend on how the formula is written. For example
and
are formulae for the same function.

In a polynomial (or a generalisation of a polynomial, such as a Taylor series or Fourier expansion), the constant term is associated to the exponent zero. Note that the constant term may be zero, however. In a sense, any formula has a constant term, if you allow the constant term to be zero.

For some purposes, the constant is taken to be the value of f(0), but this depends on the function being defined at 0; it would not work for f(x)=1-1/x.

See also

External links

Mathematics (colloquially, maths or math) is the body of knowledge centered on such concepts as quantity, structure, space, and change, and also the academic discipline that studies them. Benjamin Peirce called it "the science that draws necessary conclusions".
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Science (from the Latin scientia, 'knowledge'), in the broadest sense, refers to any systematic knowledge or practice.[1] Examples of the broader use included political science and computer science, which are not incorrectly named, but rather named according to
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variable (IPA pronunciation: [ˈvæɹiəbl]) (sometimes called a pronumeral) is a symbolic representation denoting a quantity or expression.
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number is an abstract idea used in counting and measuring. A symbol which represents a number is called a numeral, but in common usage the word number is used for both the idea and the symbol.
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In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem (AmE) or Pythagoras' theorem (BrE) is a relation in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle. The theorem is named after the Greek mathematician Pythagoras, who by tradition is credited with its discovery and
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hypotenuse of a right triangle is the triangle's longest side; the side opposite the right angle. The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares
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function expresses dependence between two quantities, one of which is given (the independent variable, argument of the function, or its "input") and the other produced (the dependent variable, value of the function, or "output").
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variable (IPA pronunciation: [ˈvæɹiəbl]) (sometimes called a pronumeral) is a symbolic representation denoting a quantity or expression.
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Parameters, in the plural form, has recently become popular with non-technical users to mean limits, but this should not be confused with the word's technical meaning.

In mathematics, statistics, and the mathematical sciences, parameters (L: auxiliary measure
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Latin alphabet
Child systems Numerous: see Alphabets derived from the Latin
Sister systems Cyrillic
Coptic
Armenian
Runic/Futhark
Unicode range See Latin characters in Unicode
ISO 15924 Latn

Note
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Physics is the science of matter[1] and its motion[2][3], as well as space and time[4][5] —the science that deals with concepts such as force, energy, mass, and charge.
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special theory of relativity was proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in his article "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies". Some three centuries earlier, Galileo's principle of relativity had stated that all uniform motion was relative, and that there was no absolute and
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formula (plural: formulae, formulæ or formulas) is a concise way of expressing information symbolically (as in a mathematical or chemical formula), or a general relationship between quantities.
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speed of light in a vacuum is an important physical constant denoted by the letter c for constant or the Latin word celeritas meaning "swiftness".[1] It is the speed of all electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, in a vacuum.
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A vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than standard atmospheric pressure. The Latin term in vacuo is used to describe an object as being in what would otherwise be a vacuum.
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A physical quantity is either a physical property that can be measured (e.g. mass, volume, etc.), or the result of a measurement. The value of a physical quantity Q is expressed as the product of a numerical value and a physical unit [Q].
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Mass is a fundamental concept in physics, roughly corresponding to the intuitive idea of "how much matter there is in an object". Mass is a central concept of classical mechanics and related subjects, and there are several definitions of mass within the framework of relativistic
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energy (from the Greek ενεργός, energos, "active, working")[1] is a scalar physical quantity that is a property of objects and systems of objects which is conserved by nature.
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function expresses dependence between two quantities, one of which is given (the independent variable, argument of the function, or its "input") and the other produced (the dependent variable, value of the function, or "output").
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Addition is the mathematical operation of combining or adding two numbers to obtain an equal simple amount or total. Addition also provides a model for related processes such as joining two collections of objects into one collection.
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formula (plural: formulae, formulæ or formulas) is a concise way of expressing information symbolically (as in a mathematical or chemical formula), or a general relationship between quantities.
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function expresses dependence between two quantities, one of which is given (the independent variable, argument of the function, or its "input") and the other produced (the dependent variable, value of the function, or "output").
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In mathematics, a polynomial is an expression that is constructed from one or more variables and constants, using only the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and constant positive whole number exponents. is a polynomial.
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Fourier series is a mathematical tool used for analyzing periodic functions by decomposing such a function into a weighted sum of much simpler sinusoidal component functions sometimes referred to as normal Fourier modes, or simply modes for short.
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Exponentiation is a mathematical operation, written an, involving two numbers, the base a and the exponent n.
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