Practical Electronics/Greek Alphabet
From Wikibooks, open books for an open world
Greek letters are often used in electronics, either for prefixes or to represent values, often if the normal letters run out.
| Letter | Name | Uses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Lowercase | ||
| Α | α | Alpha | |
| Β | β | Beta | |
| Γ | γ | Gamma | |
| Δ | δ | Delta | |
| Ε | ε | Epsilon | |
| Ζ | ζ | Zeta | |
| Η | η | Eta | |
| Θ | θ | Theta | Generally used to denote angles or phase relationships |
| Ι | ι | Iota | |
| Κ | κ | Kappa | |
| Λ | λ | Lambda | Usually used for wavelength, but can also be used to denote an arbitrary constant. |
| Μ | μ | Mu | Lowercase stands for "micro-", the prefix denoting one millionth. Can also be used to denote an arbitrary constant, usually when λ has been used already. |
| Ν | ν | Nu | |
| Ξ | ξ | Xi | |
| Ο | ο | Omicron | |
| Π | π | Pi | Lowercase denotes a mathematical constant, 3.14... |
| Ρ | ρ | Rho | Lowercase can mean resistivity (not resistance) or density. |
| Σ | σ | Sigma | Capital denotes the sum of a series of values. |
| Τ | τ | Tau | |
| Υ | υ | Upsilon | |
| Φ | φ | Phi | Sometimes used for angles or phase relationships, if theta has already been used. Can also represent the Golden Ratio. |
| Χ | χ | Chi | |
| Ψ | ψ | Psi | |
| Ω | ω | Omega | Capital denotes "ohms", the unit of resistance. Lowercase can mean the "angular speed" or the rate of change of phase of a signal. |
This page may need to be