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Coefficient

A coefficient is a numerical multiplier that scales a quantity, term, or contribution in a mathematical or computational operation.

How 4 Manning books explain it

Geometry for Programmers

A coefficient is a numerical factor that multiplies a variable or term in a mathematical expression, including a polynomial term.

How it is used
Uses numerical factors to fit trends, pass polynomials through points, and define connected spline segments.
How deep it goes
Explains coefficients through polynomial equations, matrix-based least squares, and recursive tangent-constrained spline construction.
Examples
Uses rowing-time trends, a quadratic through a point, and quadratic boat-path segments as concrete coefficient examples.
What you can do after
Apply it via SymPy to solve coefficient systems and construct approximating polynomials or connected spline pieces.

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Effective Data Analysis

A coefficient in a statistical result is a numerical parameter estimate that quantifies the contribution or association of a modeled term.

How it is used
Uses coefficients to interpret predictors, estimate outcomes, and assess statistical-model results alongside diagnostics.
How deep it goes
Explains coefficient roles in regression equations and model workflows, but defers detailed objective functions and model-specific interpretation.
Examples
Uses housing-price regression, square footage, bedrooms, fitted equations, statsmodels summaries, and residual diagnostics.
What you can do after
Evaluate and interpret fitted regression coefficients while relating them to predictions, model performance, and residual discrepancies.

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Causal AI

A coefficient is a numerical parameter multiplying a predictor or parent variable in a linear function.

How it is used
Uses coefficients to express proportional causal effects in linear structural causal models.
How deep it goes
Defines coefficients, separates them from intercepts and noise, and demonstrates their causal interpretation in worked linear models.
Examples
Uses enzyme and protein measurements, femur length and height, and a Pyro model with y = 2x + noise.
What you can do after
Build it from scratch by specifying linear causal equations and interpreting each parent’s coefficient as an expected causal change.

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Math for Web Design

Scaling is a geometric transformation that changes an object's size by multiplying its coordinates by scale factors.

How it is used
Controls responsive sizes, transforms, and interaction intensity by multiplying a changing layout or gesture value.
How deep it goes
Works through percentage products, viewport-factor calculations, and distance-ratio scaling without deriving geometric transformation internals.
Examples
Uses nested widths, bounded hero typography, pinch-to-zoom photos, and mouse-distance hover zoom.
What you can do after
Apply it via CSS and JavaScript to calculate bounded responsive and gesture-driven scaling.

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Related concepts

These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.