coefficient

[koh-uh-fish-uh nt] /ˌkoʊ əˈfɪʃ ənt/
noun
1.
Mathematics. a number or quantity placed (generally) before and multiplying another quantity, as 3 in the expression 3x.
2.
Physics. a number that is constant for a given substance, body, or process under certain specified conditions, serving as a measure of one of its properties:
coefficient of friction.
adjective
3.
acting in consort; cooperating.
Origin
1655-65; < Neo-Latin coefficient- (stem of coefficiēns). See co-, efficient
Related forms
coefficiently, adverb
Examples from the web for coefficients
  • It's complicated, expensive, and produces lower validity coefficients than the traditional tests.
  • The table above lists the coefficients of correlation between size and shape of fingerprints found in one study.
  • The authors give us a hint when they point out that that these coefficients vary according to what kinds of foods are exploited.
  • The author uses correlation coefficients in sentences incorrectly, which suggests a poor understanding of what they are and mean.
  • Nothing is a certainty, but they have different coefficients of validity.
  • T-statistics will reveal the significance of the coefficients on each of the dummy variables.
  • There were no alpha coefficients, there were no discrimination indices.
  • Over time this sort of process would result in radically increased inbreeding coefficients.
  • Whether one swamps out the effects of another is a matter of figuring out the selection coefficients versus the migration rate.
British Dictionary definitions for coefficients

coefficient

/ˌkəʊɪˈfɪʃənt/
noun
1.
(maths)
  1. a numerical or constant factor in an algebraic term: the coefficient of the term 3xyz is 3
  2. the product of all the factors of a term excluding one or more specified variables: the coefficient of x in 3axyz is 3ayz
2.
(physics) a value that relates one physical quantity to another
Word Origin
C17: from New Latin coefficiēns, from Latin co- together + efficere to effect
Word Origin and History for coefficients

coefficient

n.

also co-efficient, c.1600, from co- + efficient. Probably influenced by Modern Latin coefficiens, which was used in mathematics in 16c., introduced by French mathematician François Viète (1540-1603). As an adjective from 1660s.

coefficients in Medicine

coefficient co·ef·fi·cient (kō'ə-fĭsh'ənt)
n.
The mathematical expression of the amount or degree of any quality possessed by a substance, or of the degree of physical or chemical change normally occurring in that substance under stated conditions.

coefficients in Science
coefficient
  (kō'ə-fĭsh'ənt)   

  1. A number or symbol multiplied with a variable or an unknown quantity in an algebraic term. For example, 4 is the coefficient in the term 4x, and x is the coefficient in x(a + b).

  2. A numerical measure of a physical or chemical property that is constant for a system under specified conditions. The speed of light in a vacuum, for example, is a constant.