Elementary mathematics | Constants | Algebra
Constant (mathematics)
In mathematics, the word constant conveys multiple meanings. As an adjective, it refers to non-variance (i.e. unchanging with respect to some other value); as a noun, it has two different meanings: * A fixed and well-defined number or other non-changing mathematical object. The terms mathematical constant or physical constant are sometimes used to distinguish this meaning. * A function whose value remains unchanged (i.e., a constant function). Such a constant is commonly represented by a variable which does not depend on the main variable(s) in question. For example, a general quadratic function is commonly written as: where a, b and c are constants (or parameters), and x a variable—a placeholder for the argument of the function being studied. A more explicit way to denote this function is which makes the function-argument status of x (and by extension the constancy of a, b and c) clear. In this example a, b and c are coefficients of the polynomial. Since c occurs in a term that does not involve x, it is called the constant term of the polynomial and can be thought of as the coefficient of x0. More generally, any polynomial term or expression of degree zero (no variable) is a constant. (Wikipedia).
