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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 e also has applications to probability theory, where it arises in a way not obviously related to exponential growth. As an example, suppose that a slot machine with a one in n probability of winning is played n times, then for large n (e.g., one million), the probability that nothing will be won will tend to 1/e as n tends to infinity.
The constants listed here are known values of physical constants expressed in SI units; that is, physical quantities that are generally believed to be universal in nature and thus are independent of the unit system in which they are measured. Many of these are redundant, in the sense that they obey a known relationship with other physical ...
[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.
The area thus obtained is referred to as the sofa constant. The exact value of the sofa constant is an open problem. The leading solution, by Joseph L. Gerver, has a value of approximately 2.2195. In November 2024, Jineon Baek posted an arXiv preprint claiming that Gerver's value is optimal, which if true, would solve the moving sofa problem. [2]
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.
When its value was discovered to be closer to 137, he changed his argument to match that value. His ideas were not widely accepted, and subsequent experiments have shown that they were wrong (for example, none of the measurements of the fine-structure constant suggest an integer value; the modern CODATA value is α −1 = 137.035 999 177 (21). [14]
The reason for this is that the choice of a system of units may arbitrarily select any physical constant as its basis, making the question of which constant is undergoing change an artefact of the choice of units. [5] [6] [7] For example, in SI units, the speed of light has been given a defined value in 1983. Thus, it was meaningful to ...