A

atomic mass number
atomic mass number#English

(chemistry, physics) Symbol for mass number (“nucleon number”). Abbreviation of English atomic mass number..


A

International System of Units
International System of Units

(physics, International System of Units) Ampere, a unit of electrical current.


f

Modification of upper case Latin letter F, from Greek Ϝ (W, “Digamma”), from Phœnician 𐤅 (W, “waw”), the ultimate source being probably Egyptian.


HI

desc

English: H_I emission line, HI emission line, H-I emission line, H I emission line

English: H_I region, HI region, H-I region, H I region

(chemistry, spectroscopy) neutral atomic hydrogen, a neutrally charged atom of hydrogen


e

Close-mid front unrounded vowel
e
e (mathematical constant)

Pronunciation of IPA [eː]

Modification of capital letter E in uncial script, from Ancient Greek Ε (E, epsilon).


b

Pronunciation of IPA [bɑː, ɑbbɑː] with the sound [b]

Modification of capital letter B by dropping its upper loop, from the Greek letter Β (“Beta”).


c

(physics) The speed of light, 2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s.


k

(physics) The spring constant of an elastic material.

Boltzmann's constant
Boltzmann's constant


n

From the old Latin N, from the Greek Ν (nu), from an archaic reversed Greek N, from the Phoenician symbol 𐤍; possibly from an earlier Egyptian hieroglyph of a resting Egyptian cobra, D (𓆓).


r

Pronunciation of IPA [rɑː, ɑrrɑː] with the sound [r]

(physics) relative. E.g. vr or vᵣ for relative velocity.


u

Pronunciation of IPA [uː]


v

Pronunciation of IPA [ɑvvɑʔ] with the sound [v]


Tc

It implies that if the critical temperature T_c is unique, then it must occur when x = 1, v = q^(1/2)

1973, “Potts model at the critical temperature”, in Journal of Physics C: Solid State Physics, volume 6, number 23, →DOI:

critical temperature
critical temperature


Cd

(physics) The drag coefficient (C_d or Cₓ), describing a characteristic amount of aerodynamic drag caused by fluid flow.


Rn

(chemistry, physics) radon; ²²²₈₆Rn (radon-222); an isotope of radon, used when radon-220 is called thoron (Tn) and radon-219 is called actinon (An)


pu

electrical engineering
electrical engineering


II

head

II (upper case Roman numeral, lower case ii)

He II

(spectroscopy) Describing an atom that has lost one electron


III

(spectroscopy) Describing an atom that has lost two electrons


μg

(physics) Misspelling of µG (“microgauss”).


η

coefficient of viscosity
coefficient of viscosity

(chemistry, physics) The coefficient of viscosity.

Sommerfeld parameter
Sommerfeld parameter


ℎ

Max Planck wrote h for German Hilfsgrösse.

(physics) The symbol for Planck's constant.


(particle physics) Used to designate a resonance.


var

(physics, electrics) Alternative form of VAR


α

alpha

for names of this symbol in other language

fine structure constant
fine structure constant

(electrodynamics) The fine structure constant.

(in our Universe) a value of approximately 1/137 = 0.0072973525

See Wikipedia article on angular acceleration for usage.

angular acceleration
angular acceleration

(classical mechanics) Represents angular acceleration.


B

magnetic flux density
magnetic flux density


Ba

(physics) The CGS symbol for barye, unit of pressure.


Bi

(electricity, physics) biot (“abampere”)


C

* (element symbol, carbon): abbreviation
* (metrology, coulomb): abbreviation
* (computing, hexadecimal 12): From its position as the twelfth element of the series {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F}


E

From the Etruscan letter 𐌄 (e, “e”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ε (E, “epsilon”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤄 (h, “he”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓀠.


F

From the Etruscan letter 𐌅 (v, “ve”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ϝ (W, “digamma”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤅 (w, “waw”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓏲.


G

From a modification of the Latin letter C (“ce”), from the Etruscan letter 𐌂 (c, “ce”), from the Ancient Greek letter Γ (G, “gamma”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤂 (g, “giml”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓌙.

gravitational constant
gravitational constant

(physics) The gravitational constant in the formula F = Gm₁m₂/r²; sometimes called "big G" to distinguish from g for the acceleration of gravity.


H

From the Etruscan letter 𐌇 (h, he), from the Ancient Greek letter Η (Ē, eta), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤇 (ḥ, het), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓈈 or maybe 𓉗.

electrical inductance
electrical inductance

(physics) henry, a unit for measurement of electrical inductance in the International System of Units.


I

From the Etruscan letter 𐌉 (i), from the Ancient Greek letter Ι (I, iota), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤉 (y, yod), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓂝.

(physics, electronics) Electrical current.

(physics, kinematics) moment of inertia.


Jy

(physics) Symbol for jansky, a unit of flux density.


L

From the Etruscan letter 𐌋 (l, “el”), from the Ancient Greek letter Λ (L, “lambda”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤋 (l, “lamed”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓌅.

(astronomy, physics, measurement, cgs) lambert


Mu

(chemistry, physics) The chemical symbol for muonium (antimuon–electron pair pseudo-element; not the muon–antimuon onium pair (muononium))


N

From the Etruscan letter 𐌍 (n, en), from the Ancient Greek letter Ν (N, nu), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤍 (n, nun), possibly from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓆓.


P

From the Etruscan letter 𐌐 (p, “pe”), from the Ancient Greek letter Π (P, “pi”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤐 (p, “pe”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓂋.


Q

English: max Q

Ancient Greek language
Egyptian language
Etruscan language
Phoenician language
Q

From the Etruscan letter 𐌒 (q, “cu”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ϙ (Q, “qoppa”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤒 (q, “qop”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓃻.


R

From the Etruscan letter 𐌓 (r, “er”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ρ (R, “rho”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤓 (r, “reš”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓁶.


U

From the Etruscan letter 𐌖 (u, “u”), from the Ancient Greek letter Υ (U, “ypsilon”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤅 (w, “waw”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓏲. Doublet of Y and V.


W

From a modification of the Latin letter V (“ve”), from the Etruscan letter 𐌖 (u, “u”), from the Ancient Greek letter Υ (U, “ypsilon”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤅 (w, “waw”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓏲.
Its use as a symbol for tungsten is based on German Wolfram.


Z

From the Etruscan letter 𐌆 (z, “ze”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ζ (Z, “zeta”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤆 (z, “zayin”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓏭.

(physics) the impedance of an electrical circuit

(physics, computer graphics) the depth dimension in a 3D environment


(mathematics, physics) The second time-differential. E.g. x (position), ẋ (velocity), ẍ (acceleration).


(chemistry, physics) an electron orbital type


VAR

(physics, electrics) volt-ampere reactive


ƛ

(physics) reduced wavelength, λ⁄2π. Cf. ℏ.


† (English symbol name dagger or obelus)

dagger (English name symbol)
obelus (English name symbol)

Derives from the obelus, ⟨⸓⟩. Originally shaped like a dagger, it is now sometimes identical in shape to a Latin cross.

(AB|ψ⟩)^†=⟨ψ|B^†A^†

(quantum mechanics, superscript) Hermitian conjugate of


β

IPA

(physics) beta ray, beta particle, beta radiation


Ξ

Those smaller particles are quarks in this case, meaning that the Ξ_(cc)⁺⁺ is a hadron—the generic name for particles made of quarks.

2017 August 20, Jon Butterworth, “Newly discovered particles, and what's in them”, in The Guardian (in English):

(particle physics) Xi baryon; cascade particle


μ

coefficient of friction
coefficient of friction

magnetic permeability
magnetic permeability

Standard gravitational parameter
Standard gravitational parameter

(physics) Standard gravitational parameter

Coordinate term: Å (ångström)


σ

Stefan-Boltzmann constant
Stefan-Boltzmann constant

(physics) The Stefan-Boltzmann constant.


τ

The first one was made by the Viking Orbiter 1 spacecraft in 1980 (Duxbury and Ocampo, 1988) and brought a negative result, setting the upper limit of the normal optical depth of the putative tori to #92;tau#92;lesssim 3#92;times 10#123;-5#125;.

2006 August, Alexander V. Krivov, Artem G. Feofilov, Valeri V. Dikarev, “Search for the putative dust belts of Mars: The late 2007 opportunity”, in Planetary and Space Science, volume 54, numbers 9–10, →DOI, page 871:


ψ

(physics, biochemistry) Water potential in cells.


(mathematics, physics) A vector pointing into the page.


ℏ

(physics) Reduced Planck's constant. Has the value ℎ/2π (where ℎ is Planck's constant), or approximately 1.05457182×10⁻³⁴ J⋅s.


Ts

(chemistry, physics) tennessine (element-117; ununseptium)


esu

(metrology, physics) The symbol for electrostatic unit of charge or statcoulomb, a unit of electric charge in the CGS system.


(A)

An ASCII representation of the enclosed capital A or circle-A, Ⓐ.


+ (English symbol name plus sign or plus)

plus sign (English name symbol)
plus (English name symbol)

antonym(s) of “addition or positiveness”

From a ligature of Latin et (“and”). Compare & and ⁊ of same meaning.


antonym(s) of “all except relative complement”

There are many theories regarding the origin of the minus sign. According to one theory, it originates from a handwriting form of the letter m (for minus) that came to resemble a horizontal bar, Another theory traces it back to a hieratic sign.


○ and ◌⃝ for uses of a letter inside a circle


ħ

IPA

Originally devised for use in Maltese; see that entry for more details. First adopted as the IPA symbol for the voiceless pharyngeal fricative in 1921.

(physics) a typesetting error for the reduced Planck's constant, ⟨ℏ⟩.

Ⱥⱥ Ƀƀ Ȼȼ Đđ Ɇɇ Ǥǥ Ħħ Ɨɨ Ɉɉ Ꝁꝁ Łł Øø Ᵽᵽ Ɍɍ Ŧŧ Ʉʉ Ɏɏ Ƶƶ Ꝥꝥ


From the Ancient Greek capital letter Δ.

(mathematics, physics) The Laplace operator.


mₑ

(physics) the electron mass, 9.109×10⁻³¹ kg


K⁺

For Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Rb⁺, the enthalpy of binding to the channel is close to zero.

1988 April 1, Christopher Miller with Stahl, Neil and Barrol, Margaret, “A thermodynamic analysis of monovalent cation permeation through a K⁺-selective ion channel”, in Neuron (in English), page 159:

Ion channels, which facilitate this movement, are protein assemblies that penetrate the membrane and catalyze passage of specific ions such as sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺), or calcium (Ca²⁺) into or out of the cell down the electrochemical gradient.

2008 June 1, David Daniels, “Ion Channels Play Key Role in R&D”, in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, volume 28, number 11 (in English), →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2012-03-03, page 24:

(chemistry) a radical cation of potassium with a charge number of 1


ά

(electrical engineering) Temperature coefficient of resistance.


An

(chemistry, physics, dated) actinon; ²¹⁹₈₆Rn (radon-219); an isotope of radon


(engineering, physics) The mho (unit of conductance)


ϖ

(fluid dynamics) angular frequency of a wave


◌̅ (English name overbar or overline or overscore or vinculum)

overbar (English name)
overline (English name)
overscore (English name)
vinculum (English name)

p (proton); p̅ (antiproton)


Var

(physics, electrics) Alternative form of VAR


(mathematics, physics) the symbol indicating a vector product a.k.a. cross product


H⁰

Dem Graviton (hypothetisches, masseloses Austauschteilchen der Gravitations-WW [Wechselwirkungen] mit SpinQZ s=2), dem Photon der elektromagnetischen WW, den Eichbosonen W⁺, W⁻, Z⁰ und dem Higgs-Boson H'''⁰ der schwachen WW, sowie den 8 Gluonen der starken WW.

2016 December 19, Wolfgang Pfeiler, Quanten, Atome, Kerne, Teilchen (De Gruyter Studium) (in German), Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, →ISBN, page 392:


kVAr

(physics, electrics) Alternative letter-case form of kVAR


(electricity) Temperature control switch.


(mathematics, physics) A vector pointing out of the page.


(chemistry, physics) an electron orbital type


Since deformation manifests itself as a change in the metric characteristics of continuum, in the theory of finite deformations, it is then necessary to compare the referential ‵g_(ασ) and the convective g_(ασ) metrics. We systematically employ Latin indices in order to refer to spatial components of geometrical objects, whereas Greek indices to point on convective components (only a few instances can be found in the present study) or referential components (additionally, root symbol is sometimes supplied by backprime).

2023, Yuri N. Radayev, “Two-Point Rotations in Geometry of Finite Deformations”, in Holm Altenbach, Suren Manuk Mkhitaryan, Vahram Hakobyan, Avetik Varazdat Sahakyan, editors, Solid Mechanics, Theory of Elasticity and Creep (Advanced Structured Materials), Cham: Springer, →ISBN, page 276:


(mathematics, physics) A double back prime. Used i.a. to mark the Riesz potential, e.g. ⟨s‶(x)⟩.


Ri

(fluid mechanics, meteorology) The Richardson number


OI

desc

English: O_I emission line, OI emission line, O-I emission line, O I emission line

(chemistry, spectroscopy) neutral atomic oxygen; an atom of oxygen with its full normal complement of electrons, no more, no less.


Pōwehi

From Hawaiian Pōwehi, from pōwehi, the generative darkness of creation, from the Hawaiian creation chant Kumulipo. From pō (“unfathomable ceaseless powerful creation”) + wehi (“honorific for crowned nobles”). The Hawaiian name was chosen by Jessica Dempsey (James Clerk Maxwell Telescope observatory deputy director), Hawaiian language linguist Larry Kimura, and Geoffrey C. Bower (chief scientist of Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics division of Hawai’i).

“UH Hilo professor names black hole capturing world's attention”, in University of Hawaiʻi News, 2019 April 10, retrieved 2020-03-19: “In April 2017, a groundbreaking observational campaign brought together eight telescopes at six locations around the globe to capture an image of Pōwehi, a supermassive black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy.”

“Maunakea telescopes win the 'Oscars of Science' for Pōwehi”, in University of Hawaiʻi News, 2019 September 6, retrieved 2020-03-19: “Working together as one ʻohana was critical to our success in capturing the image of Pōwehi.”

2020, Jessica T. Dempsey, "The Event Horizon Telescope: the impact of an image and finding Pōwehi", in Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VIII

The most important thing that we have learned is that the shadow of Pōwehi is always there. That means it is real and is caused by the light bending from the black hole. […] The wobble tells us about how gas is flowing around the black hole, varying like clouds in the sky or waves on the ocean. What's next is to use our improved array and make images over years to come and learn from those changes to answer questions like, 'How does Pōwehi feed itself?'

“Pōwehi: New research captures a decade of movement”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, 2020 September 23, retrieved 2020-03-19

(astronomy) M87* (“Messier 87*”), the central supermassive blackhole of the galaxy Messier 87.


Tn

(chemistry, physics) thoron; ²²⁰₈₆Rn (radon-220); an isotope of radon


²³⁸U

(physics) The chemical symbol for uranium-238, the most common isotope of uranium.


²³⁵U

(physics) The chemical formula for the uranium isotope uranium-235, which is used in nuclear fission.


OIII

English: O_(III) emission line, OIII emission line, O-III emission line, O III emission line

(chemistry, spectroscopy) doubly-ionized oxygen; an atomic oxygen ion needing 2 electrons to become neutral


OII

English: O_(II) emission line, OII emission line, O-II emission line, O II emission line

(chemistry, spectroscopy) singly-ionized oxygen; an atomic oxygen ion needing 1 electron to become neutral


HII

English: H_(II) emission line, HII emission line, H-II emission line, H II emission line

English: H_(II) region, HII region, H-II region, H II region

(inorganic chemistry, spectroscopy) ionized hydrogen; an atomic hydrogen ion needing 1 electron to become neutral; a free hydrogen nucleus; a hydron


a⃗ + (-a⃗) = 0

Coordinate term: ◌̂

(linear algebra, physics) Denotes a vector quantity.


ZeV

English: zevatron

(physics) zettaelectronvolt / zetta-electron-volt / zetta-electronvolt, 10⁺²¹ eV.


(linear algebra, physics) Denotes a tensor quantity.


cP

(fluid mechanics) Symbol for centipoise, a CGS unit of measure of absolute viscosity.