α

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Upper case form
English name alpha
Wikipedia article on α

Contents

[edit] Translingual

[edit] Etymology 1

Approximate form of upper case Α (A, “Alpha”) from which lower case α (a, “alpha”) derived

Derived from its Ancient Greek majuscule counterpart Α (A), Alpha), in turn from the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (aleph).

[edit] Letter

α (lower case, upper case Α)

  1. Lower-case alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet.

[edit] Usage notes

This lower case letter is used to represent Α (A), alpha), the first letter of the ancient Greek alphabet. Ancient Greek, however, did not distinguish between upper case and lower case. See Α (A) for details.

[edit] Derived terms

See also alpha.

[edit] See also
  • Next letter: β (bbeta)

[edit] Etymology 2

Various abbreviations.

[edit] Symbol

α

  1. (electrodynamics) The fine structure constant.
  2. (classical mechanics) Represents angular acceleration.
    See Wikipedia article on angular acceleration for usage.
  3. (chemistry) Used in chemical nomenclature.
    α-lactam has a three-membered ring structure.
  4. (astronomy) Used to identify the brightest star in a constellation, for instance α-Centauri.

[edit] Translations

See alpha for names of this symbol in other languages.


[edit] Greek

[edit] Letter

α (a) (lower case, upper case Α)

  1. Lower-case άλφα (álfa), alpha), the first letter of the modern Greek alphabet.

[edit] Usage notes

This letter represents the open front unrounded vowel: IPA: /a/, SAMPA: /A/.

[edit] See also

  • Next letter: β (bbeta).
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