Question

What is a coefficient?????

Answer 1

the 6 in \(\large 6x^2\)

the 3 in \(3x\)

Answer 2

This may help: http://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/coefficient.html

Answer 3

http://prntscr.com/4fskyd

Answer 4

\[\huge \color{Red}{5}x\]

Based on etymology i think it goes something like this :
When we are not able to express some physical situation by using just a variable \(\large x\), we can attach a constant (\(\large \color{red}{5}\) here) to the variable, which \(co\)operates in accomplishing(\(efficient\)) a correct result : \(\large \color{Red}{5}x\).

So we call \(\large \color{red}{5}\) the \(co-efficeint\)

Answer 5

See http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/907260/what-is-the-history-behind-the-development-of-the-term-coefficient