0
$\begingroup$

In the Talk page of Wikipedia Coefficient I read this comment:

As far as I can tell, the mathematical definition should imply that coefficients are unitless, however, the physical sciences have been using "coefficient" for factors that include dimensions for a long time, where "constant" or "factor" would be a more informative term.

In the same page, examples of "physical coefficients" have both dimensionless and dimensionful coefficients. I am trying to understand the difference of how "coefficient" is used in mathematics and physics.

Thanks.

  • 0
    Assigning units to mathematical constants can be a useful way to find errors. Taking the quadratic $ax^2+bx+c=0$, if you imagine $x$ having units of length then $a$ must be length$^{-2}$, $b$ must be inverse length, and $c$ must be unitless. This would catch certain errors in the derivation (or memory) of the quadratic formula. It won't catch all errors, but neither does casting out $9$'s.2012-01-14

2 Answers 2