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Greek letters used in mathematics, science, and

engineering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greek letters are used in mathematics, science, engineering,

and other areas where mathematical notation is used as
symbols for constants, special functions, and also
conventionally for variables representing certain quantities. Greek alphabet
In these contexts, the capital letters and the small letters Αα Alpha Νν Nu
represent distinct and unrelated entities. Those Greek letters Ββ Beta Ξξ Xi
which have the same form as Latin letters are usually not
Γγ Gamma Οο Omicron
used: capital A, B, E, H, I, K, M, N, O, P, T, X, Y, Z. Small ι
(iota), ο (omicron) and υ (upsilon) are also rarely used, since ∆δ Delta Ππ Pi
they closely resemble the Latin letters i, o and u. Sometimes Epsilon Ρρ Rho
Εε
font variants of Greek letters are used as distinct symbols in
mathematics, in particular for phi and pi. Ζζ Zeta Σσς Sigma
Ηη Eta Ττ Tau
In mathematical finance, The Greeks are the variables
Θθ Theta Υυ Upsilon
denoted by Greek letters used to describe the risk of certain
investments. Ιι Iota Φφ Phi
Κκ Kappa Χχ Chi
English-speaking mathematicians use neither the modern nor
the historical Greek pronunciations of the names of the Λλ Lambda Ψψ Psi
letters, but the traditional English pronunciation, e.g. /ˈθeɪtə/ Μµ Mu Ωω Omega
for θ, cf. ancient [tʰɛ̂ːta] and modern [ˈθita]. Other characters
Digamma uc Digamma Stigma
lc.svg
Contents Greek Heta Greek San
Heta.svg San.svg
1 Typography Qoppa Sampi
2 Concepts represented by a Greek letter Greek diacritics
2.1 Αα (Alpha)
2.2 Ββ (Beta)
2.3 Γγ (Gamma)
2.4 ∆δ (Delta)
2.5 Εε (Epsilon)
2.6 Ϝϝ (Digamma)
2.7 Ζζ (Zeta)
2.8 Ηη (Eta)
2.9 Θθ (Theta)
2.10 Ιι (Iota)
2.11 Κκ (Kappa)
2.12 Λλ (Lambda)
2.13 Μµ (Mu)
2.14 Νν (Nu)
2.15 Ξξ (Xi)
2.16 Οο (Omicron)
2.17 Ππ (Pi)

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2.18 Ρρ (Rho)
2.19 Σσ (Sigma)
2.20 Ττ (Tau)
2.21 Υυ (Upsilon)
2.22 Φφ (Phi)
2.23 Χχ (Chi)
2.24 Ψψ (Psi)
2.25 Ωω (Omega)
3 See also
4 References

Typography
The Greek letter forms used in math are often different from those used in Greek-language text: they are
designed to be used in isolation, not connected to other letters, and some use variant forms which are not
normally used in current Greek typography.

The OpenType font format has the feature tag 'mgrk' "Mathematical Greek" to identify a glyph as
representing a Greek letter to be used in mathematical (as opposed to Greek language) contexts.

The table below shows a comparison of Greek letters rendered in TeX and HTML. The font used in the TeX
rendering is an italic style. This is in line with the convention that variables should be italicized. As Greek
letters are more often than not used as variables in mathematical formulas, a Greek letter appearing similar
to the TeX rendering is more likely to be encountered in works involving mathematics.

Greek Letters
Name TeX HTML Name TeX HTML Name TeX HTML Name TeX HTML
\Alpha
\digamma
Alpha \alpha Αα Digamma Ϝϝ Kappa Κκ Omicron Οο
\,
\,
Beta Ββ Zeta Ζζ Lambda Λλ Pi Ππ
Gamma Γγ Eta Ηη Mu Μµ Rho Ρρ
Delta ∆δ Theta Θθ Nu Νν Sigma Σσ
Epsilon Εε Iota Ιι Xi Ξξ Tau Ττ

Concepts represented by a Greek letter

Αα (Alpha)

α represents:
the first angle in a triangle, opposite the side A
one root of a quadratic equation, where β represents the other
the ratio of collector current to emitter current in a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) in
electronics
the statistical significance of a result
the false positive rate in statistics
the reciprocal of the sacrifice ratio

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the fine structure constant in physics

the angle of attack of an airplane
an alpha particle (He2+)
angular acceleration in physics
the linear thermal expansion coefficient
the Thermal diffusivity
the alpha carbon is the first carbon after the carbon that attaches to a functional group in
organic chemistry
the α-carbon is the backbone carbon next to the carbonyl carbon in amino acids.
right ascension in astrometry

Ββ (Beta)

Β represents the Beta function

β represents:
the second angle in a triangle, opposite the side B
one root of a quadratic equation, where α represents the other
the ratio of collector current to base current in a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) in electronics
(CURRENT GAIN)
the false negative rate in statistics
the beta coefficient, the non-diversifiable risk, of an asset in mathematical finance
the sideslip angle of an airplane
the first-order effects of variations in Coriolis force with latitude in planetary dynamics
a beta particle (e-)
sound intensity
velocity divided by the speed of light in special relativity
the beta brain wave in brain or cognitive sciences
ecliptic latitude in astrometry

Γγ (Gamma)

Γ represents:
the gamma function, a generalization of the factorial
the upper incomplete gamma function
the modular group, the group of fractional linear transformations
the gamma distribution, a continuous probability distribution defined using the gamma function
second-order sensitivity to price in mathematical finance
the Christoffel symbols of the second kind
γ represents:
the lower incomplete gamma function
the third angle in a triangle, opposite the side C
the Euler-Mascheroni constant in mathematics.
gamma rays and the photon
the heat capacity ratio in thermodynamics
the Lorentz factor in special relativity
the specific weight of substances
the damping constant (kg/s)

∆δ (Delta)

∆ represents:
a finite difference
a difference operator

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a symmetric difference
the Laplace operator
the angle that subtends the arc of a circular curve in surveying
the Determinant of an inverse Matrix (mathematics) [1]
the maximum degree of any vertex in a given graph
the difference or change in a given variable, e.g. ∆v means a difference or change in velocity
sensitivity to price in mathematical finance
distance to Earth, measured in astronomical units
Heat in a chemical formula
δ represents:
a variation in the calculus of variations
the Kronecker delta function
the force of interest in mathematical finance
the Dirac delta function
the Skorohod Integral in Malliavin Calculus, a subfield of stochastic analysis
the minimum degree of any vertex in a given graph
a partial charge. δ- represents a negative partial charge, and δ+ represents a positive partial
charge Chemistry (See also: Solvation)
declination in astrometry
the Turner Function in computational material science
noncentrality measure in statistics[2]

Εε (Epsilon)

ε represents:
a small positive quantity; see limit
a random error in regression analysis
in set theory, the limit ordinal of the sequence
in computer science, the empty string
the Levi-Civita symbol
in electromagnetics, dielectric permittivity
emissivity
strain
the Earth's axial tilt in astrometry
elasticity in economics
Expected value in probability theory and statistics
set membership symbol ∈ is based on ε

Ϝϝ (Digamma)

Ϝ is sometimes used to represent the Digamma function, though the Latin letter F (which is nearly
identical) is normally substituted.

Ζζ (Zeta)

ζ represents:
the Riemann zeta function and other zeta functions in mathematics
the coefficient of viscous friction in polymer dynamics
the damping ratio
relative vertical vorticity in fluid dynamics

Ηη (Eta)

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η represents:
the partial regression coefficient in statistics.
elasticities in economics.
the absolute vertical vorticity (relative vertical vorticity + Coriolis effect) in fluid dynamics
an index of refraction
a type of meson
viscosity
efficiency
the Minkowski metric tensor in relativity
noise in communication system models

Θθ (Theta)

Θ represents:
an asymptotically tight bound related to Big O notation.
sensitivity to the passage of time in mathematical finance
Θ (set theory), a certain ordinal number
θ represents:
a plane angle in geometry
the angle to the x axis in the xy-plane in spherical or cylindrical coordinates
potential temperature in thermodynamics
the mean time between failure in reliability engineering
soil water contents in soil science
Debye temperature
Theta functions
sometimes also ϑ ("script theta"), cursive form of theta, often used in handwriting
The first Chebyshev function in number theory

Ιι (Iota)

ι represents:

the index generator function in APL (in the form ⍳)

Κκ (Kappa)

κ represents:
the Von Kármán constant
the kappa curve
the condition number of a matrix in numerical analysis
the connectivity of a graph in graph theory
curvature
dielectric constant (usually ε)
thermal conductivity (usually a lowercase Latin k)
thermal diffusivity
a spring constant (usually a lowercase Latin k)
the heat capacity ratio in thermodynamics (usually γ)

Λλ (Lambda)

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Λ represents:
the von Mangoldt function in number theory
the set of logical axioms in the axiomatic method of logical deduction in first-order logic
the cosmological constant
a type of baryon
a diagonal matrix of eigenvalues in linear algebra
the permeance of a material in Electromagnetism
λ represents:
a unit of measure of volume equal to one microlitre (1 µL) or one cubic millimetre (1 mm³)
function expressions in the lambda calculus
a general eigenvalue in linear algebra
one wavelength in electromagnetic radiation, especially radio.
the arrival rate in queueing theory
the average life time or rate parameter in an exponential distribution (commonly used across
statistics, physics, and engineering)
the failure rate in reliability engineering
the expected number of occurrences in a Poisson distribution in probability
the lagrange multiplier in the mathematical optimization method, known as the shadow price in
economics
the Lebesgue measure denotes the volume or measure of a Lebesgue measurable set
longitude in geodesy
linear density
ecliptic longitude in astrometry
the Liouville function in number theory
the Carmichael function in number theory
the latent heat of fusion

Μµ (Mu)

µ represents:
the Möbius function in number theory
the ring representation of a representation module
the population mean or expected value in probability and statistics
a measure in measure theory
micro, an SI prefix denoting 10−6 (one millionth)
the coefficient of friction in physics
the service rate in queueing theory
the dynamic viscosity in physics
magnetic permeability in electromagnetics
a muon
reduced mass
chemical potential in condensed matter physics

Νν (Nu)

ν represents:
frequency in physics in hertz (Hz)
Poisson's ratio
a neutrino
Kinematic viscosity of liquids
Stoichiometric coefficient in chemistry

Ξξ (Xi)

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Ξ represents:
the grand canonical ensemble found in statistical mechanics
a type of baryon
ξ represents:
a random variable.
the extent of a chemical reaction
coherence length
the damping ratio
Universal set

Οο (Omicron)

Ο represents:
big O notation (may be represented by an uppercase Latin O as well)

Ππ (Pi)

Π represents:
the product operator in mathematics.
a plane
π represents:
Archimedes' constant, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter
the prime-counting function
profit in microeconomics and game theory
inflation in macroeconomics, expressed as a constant with respect to time
the state distribution of a Markov chain
a type of covalent bond in Chemistry (Pi bond)
a pion (pi meson) in particle physics
in Electronics, a special type of Small signal model is referred to as a Hybrid-pi model
ϖ (a graphic variant, see pomega) represents:
angular frequency of a wave, in fluid dynamics
longitude of pericenter in celestial mechanics
the comoving distance in cosmology

Ρρ (Rho)

ρ represents:
the radius in a polar, cylindrical, or spherical coordinate system
the correlation coefficient in statistics
the sensitivity to interest rate in mathematical finance
density (mass or charge per unit volume)
resistivity

the shape and reshape operators in APL (in the form ⍴)

the utilization in queueing theory

Σσ (Sigma)

Σ represents:

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the summation operator.

the covariance matrix
the set of terminal symbols in a formal grammar
σ represents:
Stefan's constant in blackbody radiation
the divisor function in number theory
the real part of the complex variable s = σ + i t in analytic number theory
the sign of a permutation in the theory of finite groups
the population standard deviation or spread in probability and statistics
a type of covalent bond in chemistry (sigma bond)
the selection operator in relational algebra
stress in mechanics
electrical conductivity
area density
nuclear cross section
uncertainty
utilization in operations management
surface charge density for microparticles

Ττ (Tau)

τ (lower-case) represents:
an interval of time
a mean lifetime
torque, the rotational force in mechanics
the elementary tau lepton in particle physics
the lifetime of a spontaneous emission process
the time constant of any device, such as an RC circuit
proper time in relativity
a correlation coefficient — see Kendall's tau
the Golden ratio 1.618... (although φ (phi) is more common)
Ramanujan's tau function in number theory
in astronomy, a measure of opacity, or how much sunlight cannot penetrate the atmosphere
the intertwining operator in representation theory
the tau in biochemistry, a protein associated to microtubules
shear stress in continuum mechanics
the number of divisors of highly composite numbers (sequence A000005 (http://oeis.org
/A000005) in OEIS)
the prefix of many stars, via the Bayer stellar designation system

Υυ (Upsilon)

Υ represents:
an elementary particle

Φφ (Phi)

Φ represents:
the work function in physics; the energy required by a photon to remove an electron from the
surface of a metal
magnetic flux
the cumulative distribution function of the normal distribution in statistics
phenyl functional group

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Note: a symbol for the empty set, , resembles Φ but is not Φ.

φ represents:
the golden ratio 1.618... in mathematics, art, and architecture
Euler's totient function in number theory
a holomorphic map on an analytic space
the argument of a complex number in mathematics
the value of a plane angle in physics and mathematics
the angle to the z axis in spherical coordinates
latitude in geodesy
a scalar field
Radiant flux
electric potential
the probability density function of the normal distribution in statistics
a feature of a syntactic node giving that node characteristics such as gender, number and person
in syntax

Χχ (Chi)

χ represents:
2
the chi distribution in statistics (χ is the more frequently encountered chi-square distribution)
the chromatic number of a graph in graph theory
the Euler characteristic in algebraic topology
a variable in algebraic equations
electronegativity in the periodic table
the Rabi frequency
the Fourier transform of a linear response function (see susceptibility)
a character in mathematics; especially a Dirichlet character in number theory
the Sigma vectors in the Unscented Transform (UT), used in the Unscented Kalman Filter
sometimes the mole fraction

Ψψ (Psi)

Ψ represents:
Water potential
a quaternary combinator in combinatory logic
ψ represents:
the wave function in the Schrödinger equation of quantum mechanics
the stream function in fluid dynamics
yaw angle in vehicle dynamics
the angle between the x-axis and the tangent to the curve in the intrinsic coordinates system
the second Chebyshev function in number theory

Ωω (Omega)

Ω represents:
the Omega constant
an asymptotic lower bound related to Big O notation
in probability theory and statistical mechanics, the set of possible distinct system states
the SI unit measure of electric resistance, the ohm
the rotation rate of an object, particularly a planet, in dynamics
a solid angle
a baryon

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the arithmetic function counting a number's prime factors

the right ascension of the ascending node in celestial mechanics
the density parameter in cosmology
ω represents:
the first infinite ordinal
the set of natural numbers in set theory (although or N is more common in other areas of
mathematics).
an asymptotically dominant quantity related to Big O notation
in probability theory, a possible outcome of an experiment
angular velocity / radian frequency
a complex cube root of unity -- root of unity -- the other is ω². (Used to describe various ways of
calculating the discrete Fourier transform).
vertical velocity in pressure-based coordinate systems (commonly used in atmospheric
dynamics)
a meson
the arithmetic function counting a number's distinct prime factors
a differential form (esp. on an analytic space)
the argument of periapsis in celestial mechanics
The symbol ϖ, a graphic variant of pi, is sometimes construed as omega with a bar over it; see Pi

See also
Greek alphabet
English pronunciation of Greek letters
A pronunciation guide with audio (http://skytonight.com/howto/The_Greek_Alphabet.html)
Roman letters used in mathematics
Mathematical alphanumeric symbols
Table of mathematical symbols
Typographical conventions in mathematical formulae
The Greeks (Greek letters used in mathematical finance)

References
1. ^ http://www.maths.abdn.ac.uk/~igc/tch/eg1006/notes/node119.html
2. ^ Applied Linear Statistical Models (5th ed.). Michael H. KUTNER, Christopher J. NACHTSHEIM,
John NETER, and William LI. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. ISBN 0-07-310874-X. xxviii + 1396 pp
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/wiki/Greek_letters_used_in_mathematics,_science,_and_engineering"
Categories: Mathematical notation | Greek letters

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