Coefficient

A coefficient is a constant multiplier of variables and any part of an algebraic term, Thus, in the expression

the possible coefficients for the term 3xy² would include 3, which is the coefficient of xy², and x, which is the coefficient of 3y²:

has 4 as a coefficient of

Most commonly, however, the word coefficient refers to what is, strictly speaking, the numerical coefficient. Thus, the numerical coefficients of the expression 5xy ² - 3x + 2y - 4-X are considered to be 5, -3, +2, and -4.

In many formulas, especially in statistics, certain numbers are considered coefficients, such as correlation coefficients in statistics or the coefficient of expansion in physics.