In maths, a coefficient is the number that sits in front of a letter and multiplies it. In 3x, 3 is the coefficient: it means three times whatever x is. If no number is written, the coefficient is 1, though students often miss that silent 1.

In maths在數學裡， a coefficient is the number that sits in front of a letter and multiplies itcoefficient是放在字母前面、乘上那個字母的數字。 In 3x在3x裡， 3 is the coefficient3就是coefficient： it means three times whatever x is意思是x的三倍。 If no number is written如果沒有寫數字， the coefficient is 1coefficient就是1， though students often miss that silent 1不過學生常常沒注意到那個隱形的1。

The same idea shows up in science, where a coefficient is a number that tells you how strongly one thing scales another — how much friction there is, how much something expands when it gets hot. It is a classroom and textbook word, not street talk.

The same idea shows up in science同樣的概念也出現在科學裡， where a coefficient is a number that tells you how strongly one thing scales anothercoefficient是表示一個東西影響另一個東西的程度有多強的數字 — how much friction there is, how much something expands when it gets hot——像摩擦力有多大、東西受熱膨脹多少。 It is a classroom and textbook word這是課堂和教科書用的字， not street talk不是日常口語。

Though actually it does not mean “efficient together.” English took it from French; the French mathematician François Viète gave the word this use. The Latin behind it is built from co- (together) and a verb meaning to bring something about, but in class you can treat it as “the number that multiplies.”

Though actually it does not mean "efficient together."不過其實它不是「一起有效率」的意思。 English took it from French英文是從法文借來的， the French mathematician François Viète gave the word this use法國數學家François Viète給了這個字這個用法。 The Latin behind it is built from co- (together) and a verb meaning to bring something about它背後的拉丁字是由co-（一起）加上一個意思是「促成某件事」的動詞組成的， but in class you can treat it as "the number that multiplies."但在課堂上你可以就把它當成「相乘的那個數字」。