List of scientific constants named after people

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This is a list of physical and mathematical constants named after people.[1] Eponymous constants and their influence on scientific citations have been discussed in the literature.[2][a]

  • Reduced Planck constant or Dirac constant (-bar, ħ) – Max Planck, Paul Dirac

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ The article addresses the major premise in the argument against the Ortega hypothesis: that citation counts fairly reflect the importance of scientific contributions. It presents the results of a study of eponyms in scientific literature. The result is that usually when a journal paper refers to a unit, constant, technique, device, etc. that is named after a scientist (an "eponym"), that paper will not cite the person who is the namesake of the unit, constant, technique, etc. Early papers cite it more; later papers cite it less.
  1. ^ "Reflections on the Natural History of Eponymy and Scientific Law", Donald deB. Beaver, Social Studies of Science, volume 6, number 1 (February 1976), pages 89–98. JSTOR 284787
  2. ^ Non-indexed Eponymal Citedness (NIEC): First Fact-finding Examination of a Phenomenon of Scientific Literature; Endre Száva-Kováts. "Journal of Information Science;" (1994); 20:55 doi:10.1177/016555159402000107