coefficient /kō′efish″ənt/ [L, cum, together with, efficere, to effect] , a mathematic relationship between factors that can be used to measure or evaluate a characteristic under specified conditions. Examples include Henry’s law, which measures solubility coefficient; Graham’s law, which calculates diffusion coefficient; and the oxygen-utilization coefficient, which measures the amount of oxygen in a patient’s venous blood in terms of the proportion of oxygen in his or her arterial blood.
