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For example, the atomic mass constant is exactly known when expressed using the dalton (its value is exactly 1 Da), but the kilogram is not exactly known when using these units, the opposite of when expressing the same quantities using the kilogram.
[1] [2] The terms mathematical constant or physical constant are sometimes used to distinguish this meaning. [3] A function whose value remains unchanged (i.e., a constant function). [4] Such a constant is commonly represented by a variable which does not depend on the main variable(s) in question.
A mathematical constant is a key number whose value is fixed by an unambiguous definition, often referred to by a symbol (e.g., an alphabet letter), or by mathematicians' names to facilitate using it across multiple mathematical problems. [1] For example, the constant π may be defined as the ratio of the length of a circle's circumference to ...
The constant π (pi) has a natural definition in Euclidean geometry as the ratio between the circumference and diameter of a circle. It may be found in many other places in mathematics: for example, the Gaussian integral, the complex roots of unity, and Cauchy distributions in probability. However, its ubiquity is not limited to pure mathematics.
A physical constant, sometimes fundamental physical constant or universal constant, is a physical quantity that cannot be explained by a theory and therefore must be measured experimentally. It is distinct from a mathematical constant , which has a fixed numerical value, but does not directly involve any physical measurement.
In physics, the fine-structure constant, also known as the Sommerfeld constant, commonly denoted by α (the Greek letter alpha), is a fundamental physical constant which quantifies the strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles.
Physical constant, a physical quantity generally believed to be universal and unchanging; Constant (computer programming), a value that, unlike a variable, cannot be reassociated with a different value; Logical constant, a symbol in symbolic logic that has the same meaning in all models, such as the symbol "=" for "equals"
A branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems in order to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena, as opposed to experimental physics, which relies on data generated by experimental observations. theory of everything (ToE) theory of relativity thermal conduction thermal equilibrium