Vakioluvut

Vakioluvut, in Finnish mathematics and science, refer to quantities whose values do not change within a given context. They are distinguished from variables, which can vary, and from more general parameters that may be fixed in a model but can differ between models. In practice, vakioluvut can be universal mathematical constants, model-specific fixed numbers, or constants arising from definitions and units.

Mathematical constants are numbers with fixed values that emerge from mathematical definitions or properties. Examples include pi (π), the base of the natural logarithms (e), the imaginary unit (i), and constants like Euler–Mascheroni’s gamma. Some constants are dimensionless, while others have physical units. In algebra and calculus, constant terms in expressions and equations are numbers that do not multiply by the variables.

Physical constants are quantities that describe the laws of nature and remain unchanged under specified conditions. Well-known examples include the speed of light in vacuum (c), which is defined to be exactly 299,792,458 meters per second in modern SI units, and other constants such as the elementary charge and Boltzmann constant, which encode properties of matter and energy. Some constants are universal and dimensionless, reflecting fundamental ratios, while others possess units and can be measured with improving precision.

In applied contexts, constants appear as fixed inputs in models and equations. They provide reference scales, conversion factors, or characteristic properties of a system. For example, in physics equations, c acts as a conversion factor between time and space, while in geometric problems, π relates a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

See also: variables, parameters, mathematical constant, physical constant.