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Coefficient

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In mathematics, a coefficient is a constant multiplicative factor of a specified object. The object can be a variable, a vector, a function, or anything else that might be subject to multiplication.

For example, the coefficient of a in the expression 5a + b is 5. Note that it is important that we specify what we are looking at the coefficients of: 5 also has a coefficient in 5a + b, namely a.

Coefficients come up most frequently in a discussion of polynomials.

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