Coefficient

In mathematics, a coefficient is a constant multiplicative factor of a certain object. For example, the coefficient in 9x2 is 9. A coefficient can also be a variable such as [math]\displaystyle{ a }[/math], [math]\displaystyle{ b }[/math] and [math]\displaystyle{ c }[/math].[1][2]

The object can be such things as a variable, a vector, a function, etc. In some cases, the objects and the coefficients are indexed similarly, leading to expressions such as:

[math]\displaystyle{ a_1 x_1 + a_2 x_2 + a_3 x_3 + \cdots }[/math]

where an is the coefficient of the variable xn for each n = 1, 2, 3, …[3]

Related pages

References

  1. "Compendium of Mathematical Symbols". Math Vault. 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  2. "Definition of Coefficient". www.mathsisfun.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  3. Weisstein, Eric W. "Coefficient". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.