

There are various uses for the Gamma symbol, both the upper and lowercase signs. Similarly, it is also related to the Hebrew letter gimel ג. It was derived from the Phoenician letter that represented the /g/ phoneme, 𐤂 gīml. It has a value of 3 in the Greek numeral system. Gamma (γάμμα) is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. It is also used in finance as a measurement of investment portfolio risk.
#Omicron greek letter software
Probably the most popular use for the beta letter is its representation of the software development phase wherein a software or program is likely completed, but needs to be tested to detect possible problems. The Beta symbol is used across different industries, from finance to computing and engineering.ĭerived from the Phoenician letter beth, the beta sign is the origin of the Roman and Cyrillic letters B. It has a value of 2 in the Greek numeral system. The lowercase alpha is more widely used because the uppercase basically looks like the Latin A.īeta (βῆτα) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In math and science, the lowercase letter alpha (α) is used to represent various concepts, including alpha particles, alpha radiation, angular acceleration, and thermal expansion coefficient.

Meanwhile, the Latin and Cyrillic letters A are known to have been derived from the Greek alphabet’s letter alpha. It is found to have originated from the letter aleph, which is of Phoenician and Hebrew origins. The letter is also used as a word in the English language where it means “first”, “beginning”, and “dominant”. The Alpha symbol is widely used in different fields. It has a value of 1 in the Greek numeral system. Alpha (Α / α)Īlpha (ἄλφα) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Here is how these letters are used and what they represent in today’s world. Because of this, it’s not easy to mistake one symbol for another.Īs mentioned above, there are a total number of 24 letters in the Greek alphabet. For one, the Greek symbols are more distinctive than the universal English alphabet. The use of Greek alphabet letters as mathematical and scientific symbols has its advantages. The origins of how the Greek letters were used in math and science can be traced back to the early philosophers, such as Aristotle and Diophantus.Īs Greeks, they used the letters from the Greek alphabet to represent variables and constants in their formulas and equations.Įven though younger philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians used their own alphabet or symbols to represent different values and variables, those that used Greek letters were passed down to the modern generations. There are a lot of letters and symbols used in math and science and the symbols of the Greek alphabet are among the most popular ones. Why Are the Greek Alphabet Letters Used in Science and Mathematics? Minuscule is the primary basis of Greek handwriting.

These are the uncial, which allows connecting capital letters, and the more popular minuscule and cursive. However, three different methods were created to make writing easier. Originally, the Greek alphabet was written purely in uppercase. Meanwhile, the people of Athens adopted the Ionic alphabet, which is still widely used in modern Greece. The Chalcidian alphabet was thought to be the origin of the Etruscan alphabet as well as the Latin alphabet, which is the basis of a majority of European alphabets. Ultimately, the Greek alphabet that we know today is the successor of the Phoenician alphabet.īack in the fifth century BCE, there were two documented similar forms of the Greek alphabet, namely, the Chalcidian and Ionic. These two communities were the other main groups that had close contact with the Greeks. The Mycenaeans and Minoans are believed to be other possible sources of inspiration for the Greek alphabet. Sometime around 750 BC, Greece began to adopt the Phoenicians’ language system. It is believed that the rich trades that occurred during ancient times in and around the Mediterranean inspired the creation of these symbols.Īmong the major influences related to the Greek alphabet were the Phoenicians. It is believed to be based on the North Semitic Alphabet of Phoenicia and composed of 24 letters, seven of which are vowels.Įven though the Greek alphabet was widely used in Greece and throughout the Greek Empire, and later on became the basis of other alphabets, the Greek symbols are believed to have actually originated from earlier civilizations.

It is thought that the Greek alphabet has been developed around 1000 BCE. Omega (Ω / ω) Greek Alphabet History and Origins
