α
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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| Unicode name | GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA |
|---|---|
| Greek and Coptic | U+03B1 |
See also ∝
See also Appendix:Variations of "a"
Contents |
[edit] Translingual
[edit] Symbol
α
- (electrodynamics) The fine structure constant.
- (classical mechanics) Represents angular acceleration.
- See Wikipedia article on angular acceleration for usage.
- (chemistry) Used in chemical nomenclature.
- α-lactam has a three-membered ring structure.
- (astronomy) Used to identify the brightest star in a constellation, for instance α-Centauri.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] See also
See alpha for names of this symbol in other languages.
[edit] Greek
[edit] Etymology
Derived from its Ancient Greek majuscule counterpart Α (A), “‘Alpha’”), in turn from the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (“‘aleph’”).
[edit] Letter
α (a) (lower case, upper case Α)
- Lower-case άλφα (álfa), “‘alpha’”), the first letter of the modern Greek alphabet. Represents the open front unrounded vowel: IPA: /a/, SAMPA: /A/.
[edit] Usage notes
Ancient Greek, however, did not distinguish between upper case and lower case. See Α (A) for details.
