fundamental constant

British  

noun

1. a physical constant, such as the gravitational constant or speed of light, that plays a fundamental role in physics and chemistry and usually has an accurately known value

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Example Sentences

These quantum phenomena depend on Planck's constant, the fundamental constant of nature that determines how the quantum world differs from our large-scale world, but in a simple way.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2024

Thus, for electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum, speed is equal to the fundamental constant, c:

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

He admitted that his own discovery, Planck’s constant h, a fundamental constant describing the quantum of energy, “destroyed this hope at one blow and for good.”

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2015

“But a fundamental constant is much more fundamental than an artifact in a vault.”

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2011

In modern physics, light is regarded as the fastest thing in the universe, and its velocity in empty space as a fundamental constant of nature.

From Time Magazine Archive