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Home › Chart guides › Greek Alphabet Chart
From alpha to omega, the Greek alphabet has twenty-four letters, and nearly all of them turn up in maths, physics and statistics. This chart gives each letter in capital and small form, its name, its Latin equivalent and what it usually stands for.
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Twenty-four letters: capital and small forms, names, Latin equivalents and what they mean in maths and science.
| Capital | Small | Name | Latin | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Α | α | alpha | a | Angles; alpha particles; significance level in statistics |
| Β | β | beta | b | Angles; beta particles; beta coefficient in statistics and finance |
| Γ | γ | gamma | g | Gamma rays; Lorentz factor; Γ is the gamma function |
| Δ | δ | delta | d | Δ means change in a quantity; δ a small change |
| Ε | ε | epsilon | e | An arbitrarily small number; permittivity; strain |
| Ζ | ζ | zeta | z | Riemann zeta function; damping ratio |
| Η | η | eta | ē | Efficiency; viscosity |
| Θ | θ | theta | th | Angles in geometry and trigonometry |
| Ι | ι | iota | i | Rarely used in science; 'not one iota' means not the smallest bit |
| Κ | κ | kappa | k | Curvature; thermal conductivity; Cohen's kappa |
| Λ | λ | lambda | l | Wavelength; eigenvalues; decay constant; Λ is the cosmological constant |
| Μ | μ | mu | m | Micro-, one millionth; mean; coefficient of friction |
| Ν | ν | nu | n | Frequency; neutrinos; kinematic viscosity |
| Ξ | ξ | xi | x | Random variables; Ξ is a family of baryons |
| Ο | ο | omicron | o | Rarely used, as it looks like the Latin letter o |
| Π | π | pi | p | π = 3.14159..., circumference over diameter; Π is a product |
| Ρ | ρ | rho | r | Density; resistivity; correlation coefficient |
| Σ | σ | sigma | s | Σ is summation; σ is standard deviation and stress |
| Τ | τ | tau | t | Torque; time constant; τ = 2π |
| Υ | υ | upsilon | u, y | Rarely used, as it looks like Latin u and v; the upsilon meson |
| Φ | φ | phi | ph | Golden ratio 1.618...; angles; Φ is magnetic flux |
| Χ | χ | chi | ch | Chi-squared test; Euler characteristic; magnetic susceptibility |
| Ψ | ψ | psi | ps | Wave function in quantum mechanics; Ψ is a symbol of psychology |
| Ω | ω | omega | ō | ω is angular velocity; Ω is the ohm, the unit of resistance |
Sigma has a final form, ς, used at the end of a word. Latin equivalents follow the classical convention; in modern Greek β sounds like v, γ like a soft g or y, η and υ like ee, and χ like the ch in loch.