10/03/2025
Ever wonder where c came from? Why not s for speed or v for velocity?
The Latin word for speed is celeritas. The idea that c came from this Latin word was popularized by science fiction author Isaac Asimov.
Mathematicians were using it well before Einstein's equation.
It's a great reminder that in math, we define the variable. Students can change the variables in an equation if they carry the same meaning. I often tell my kids to swap letters out for x, since they are more comfortable solving for it. Plug your numbers in and x for what you're solving for. While I'm comfortable solving for lambda, many student are not.
So, why c? Because mathematicians and scientists have used it over many years. We've created a common language and have agreed that c = speed of light.
What other variables are strange for you and your kiddos?