constant - Definition | Dictionary definition of constant

Definition of constant

Adjectives

unvarying in nature

"maintained a constant temperature"

Synonyms:: changeless, invariant, unvarying; invariable
not liable to or capable of change

steadfast in purpose or devotion or affection

"a man constant in adherence to his ideals"

"a constant lover"

"constant as the northern star"

Synonyms:: unchangeable
not changeable or subject to change; faithful
steadfast in affection or allegiance; stable
resistant to change of position or condition; invariable
not liable to or capable of change; staunch, steadfast, unswerving
firm and dependable especially in loyalty; unfailing, unflagging
unceasing

Antonyms:: inconstant
likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason; variable; changeable, changeful
such that alteration is possible; having a marked tendency to change; unfaithful
not true to duty or obligation or promises; unstable
lacking stability or fixity or firmness; variable
liable to or capable of change; volatile
evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures; false, untrue
(used especially of persons) not dependable in devotion or affection; unfaithful; fickle
marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments; show more antonyms...

uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing

"in constant pain"

Synonyms:: ceaseless, incessant, never-ending, perpetual, unceasing, unremitting; continuous, uninterrupted
continuing in time or space without interruption

Nouns

a quantity that does not vary

Synonyms:: constant quantity, invariable

Types:: parameter, parametric quantity
a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves; degree of freedom
one of the minimum number of parameters needed to describe the state of a physical system

Type of:: quantity
the concept that something has a magnitude and can be represented in mathematical expressions by a constant or a variable

a number representing a quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context

"the velocity of light is a constant"

Types:: show 24 types...; hide 24 types...; Avogadro number, Avogadro's number
the number of molecules in a mole of a substance (approximately 602,250,000,000,000,000,000,000); Boltzmann's constant
constant used in the calculation of the ideal gas constant; coefficient
a constant number that serves as a measure of some property or characteristic; absorptance, absorption coefficient, coefficient of absorption
a measure of the rate of decrease in the intensity of electromagnetic radiation (as light) as it passes through a given substance; the fraction of incident radiant energy absorbed per unit mass or thickness of an absorber; coefficient of drag, drag coefficient
the ratio of the drag on a body moving through air to the product of the velocity and the surface area of the body; coefficient of friction
the ratio of the weight of an object being moved along a surface and the force that maintains contact between the object and the surface; coefficient of mutual induction, mutual inductance
a measure of the induction between two circuits; the ratio of the electromotive force in a circuit to the corresponding change of current in a neighboring circuit; usually measured in henries; coefficient of self induction, self-inductance
the ratio of the electromotive force produced in a circuit by self-induction to the rate of change of current producing it, expressed in henries; modulus
(physics) a coefficient that expresses how much of a specified property is possessed by a specified substance; coefficient of expansion, expansivity
the fractional change in length or area or volume per unit change in temperature at a given constant pressure; coefficient of reflection, reflectance, reflection factor, reflectivity
the fraction of radiant energy that is reflected from a surface; transmission, transmittance
the fraction of radiant energy that passes through a substance; absolute viscosity, coefficient of viscosity, dynamic viscosity
a measure of the resistance to flow of a fluid under an applied force; weight, weighting
(statistics) a coefficient assigned to elements of a frequency distribution in order to represent their relative importance; cosmological constant
an arbitrary constant in the equations of general relativity theory; equilibrium constant
(chemistry) the ratio of concentrations when equilibrium is reached in a reversible reaction (when the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction); dissociation constant
the equilibrium constant for a reversible dissociation; R, gas constant, universal gas constant
(physics) the universal constant in the gas equation: pressure times volume = R times temperature; equal to 8.3143 joules per kelvin per mole; G, constant of gravitation, gravitational constant, universal gravitational constant
(physics) the universal constant relating force to mass and distance in Newton's law of gravitation; Hubble constant, Hubble parameter, Hubble's constant, Hubble's parameter
(cosmology) the ratio of the speed of recession of a galaxy (due to the expansion of the universe) to its distance from the observer; the Hubble constant is not actually a constant, but is regarded as measuring the expansion rate today; ionic charge
the charge on an ion is equal to a constant charge e multiplied by an integer from 1 to 15; constant of proportionality, factor of proportionality
the constant value of the ratio of two proportional quantities x and y; usually written y = kx, where k is the factor of proportionality; Planck's constant, h
the constant of proportionality relating the energy of a photon to its frequency; approximately 6.626 x 10^-34 joule-second; c, light speed, speed of light
the speed at which light travels in a vacuum; the constancy and universality of the speed of light is recognized by defining it to be exactly 299,792,458 meters per second