Construct · 2 fields · 2 citations

Where does constant collide?

One name. Different field. Different construct. One map.

● jingle · one word, two constructs Nearest construct by meaningconservationcompare the meanings
How to read this

Every construct on the map is compared with every other by the meaning of its definitions, and the closest one is surfaced here. The nearest construct to constant is conservation.

Hold this as a prompt, not a verdict. Two constructs sitting close in meaning is a reason to read them side by side and decide for yourself whether they are one idea under two names. It is not proof that they are. Compare the meanings in the Collider.

constant2 CONSTRUCTSPhysical constantCODATA · SPEED OF LIGHTEquilibrium constantLUND · EQUILIBRIUM K

Spokes are fields; dashed arcs are shared lineage. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

1965Equilibrium constant2021Physical constant
2026

Drag to watch the word get claimed. Each field appears at the publication date of the earliest source cited for it. Tap a year to see which.

Physics

A universal quantity of nature

A physical constant is a quantity believed to be universal and unchanging throughout nature, such as the speed of light or the gravitational constant: these fundamental constants set the scale of the physical laws and are pinned down by careful measurement. The CODATA task group, reported by Tiesinga, Mohr, Newell, and Taylor in 2021, publishes the internationally agreed values and their uncertainties. Unlike a mathematical constant that is fixed by definition, this is a property of the physical world known only through experiment, and it is neither a number describing one reaction nor a value declared in code.[1]

Unit
A universal quantity with physical units (for example c in metres per second)
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Determined experimentally and reconciled across laboratories, with a stated uncertainty

Chemistry

A number characterizing a reaction

In chemistry a constant is a number that characterizes a particular reaction under stated conditions: the equilibrium constant K relates the amounts of products and reactants once a reversible reaction has settled, and the related rate constant k fixes how fast the reaction proceeds. This idea grew from the law of mass action of Guldberg and Waage, whose work Lund reviewed in 1965. The referent belongs to one reaction at a given temperature, not to all of nature like a physical constant, and it is neither an abstract fixed number nor a named value in a program.[2]

Unit
One number for a given reaction at a stated temperature (K or the rate constant k)
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Found by measuring the amounts present at equilibrium, or reaction speeds for the rate constant

Next

Run it through the Collider, or take the citations with you.

See how constant sits against neighbouring constructs in the Collider, or export every reference on this page in one click.

Open in ColliderExport BibTeXReport this collision

Nearby collisions

variable4 fields · 4 citationsjingle · one word, four constructsparameter3 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, three constructsvalue6 fields · 12 citationsjingle · one name, six constructs

References

  1. Tiesinga, E., Mohr, P. J., Newell, D. B., & Taylor, B. N. (2021). CODATA recommended values of the fundamental physical constants: 2018. Reviews of Modern Physics, 93(2), 025010. https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.93.025010
  2. Lund, E. W. (1965). Guldberg and Waage and the law of mass action. Journal of Chemical Education, 42(10), 548. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed042p548

Cited on this page?

Confirm your construct, or correct us.

If your work is cited behind one of these entries, you know better than we do whether we captured the meaning right. Confirm it, suggest an edit, or dispute it, and your name goes on the entry as an author who has checked it, linked to your ORCID.

Claim your construct