differential coefficient
- noun
- /ˌdɪfərˈɛnʃəl ˈkoʊɪfɪʃənt/
- Specialized
:
coeficiente diferencial
- Calculating the differential coefficient is a fundamental concept in calculus.
Examples
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He found the differential coefficient of the curve to determine the rate of change at that instant.
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The differential coefficient of a function gives the slope of the tangent at any point.
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What is the differential coefficient at this point?
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The differential coefficient measures the slope of the function.
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In calculus, the differential coefficient helps us understand how quickly a function changes at any given point.
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To calculate the differential coefficient, find the derivative of the function at that specific value.
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The engineer needed the differential coefficient to determine the rate of change in the material's stress response.
Synonyms
7
9.3
A very small change in a number used to show how fast it changes, like dy or dx
6
9.6
The rate a function changes at a point
1
7.9
How fast one value changes compared with another at a particular point
A function that shows the slope of another function at each point
How Large
- Specialized
- Specialized
6
9.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The element 'differential' clearly signals a relation to derivatives and rates of change and 'coefficient' suggests a measured or numerical quantity, so a learner might infer this is a quantity associated with differentiation. However, the precise technical sense—that it denotes the derivative or instantaneous rate of change—is specialized and not fully predictable from the everyday meaning of 'coefficient', so subject-matter knowledge is needed.
Etymology
Differential coefficient comes from old math words: differential means a very small 'difference' and coefficient is a number that goes with something. So the phrase names the number that shows a tiny change of one thing compared to another — the 'instant rate of change'.