List of mathematical uses of Latin letters

Many letters of the Latin alphabet, both capital and small, are used in mathematics, science, and engineering to denote by convention specific or abstracted constants, variables of a certain type, units, multipliers, or physical entities. Certain letters, when combined with special formatting, take on special meaning.

Below is an alphabetical list of the letters of the alphabet with some of their uses. The field in which the convention applies is mathematics unless otherwise noted.

Bb

• B represents:
• the digit "11" in hexadecimal[2] and other positional numeral systems with a radix of 12 or greater[3]
• the second point of a triangle[1]
• a ball (also denoted by ℬ (${\displaystyle {\mathcal {B}}}$) or ${\displaystyle \mathbb {B} }$)[18]
• a basis of a vector space or of a filter (both also denoted by ℬ (${\displaystyle {\mathcal {B}}}$))
• in econometrics and time-series statistics it is often used for the backshift or lag operator, the formal parameter of the lag polynomial
• the magnetic field, denoted ${\displaystyle {\textbf {B}}}$ or ${\displaystyle {\vec {B}}}$
• B with various subscripts represents several variations of Brun's constant and Betti numbers; it can also be used to mean the Bernoulli numbers.
• b represents:

Cc

• C represents:
• the third point of a triangle
• the digit "12" in hexadecimal and other positional numeral systems with a radix of 13 or greater
• the unit coulomb of electrical charge[10]
• capacitance in electrical theory
• with indices denoting the number of combinations, a binomial coefficient
• together with a degree symbol (°), the Celsius measurement of temperature = °C[10]
• the circumference of a circle or other closed curve
• the complement of a set (lowercase c and the symbol ∁ are also used)
• an arbitrary category
• the number concentration[10]
• ${\displaystyle \mathbb {C} }$ represents the set of complex numbers.
• A vertically elongated C with an integer subscript n sometimes denotes the n-th coefficient of a formal power series.
• c represents:
• Lowercase Fraktur ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {c}}}$ denotes the cardinality of the set of real numbers (the "continuum"), or, equivalently, of the power set of natural numbers.

Oo

• O represents
• the order of asymptotic behavior of a function (upper bound); see Big O notation
• ${\displaystyle (0,0,\ldots ,0)}$ — the origin of the coordinate system in Cartesian coordinates
• the circumcenter of a triangle or other cyclic polygon, or more generally the center of a circle
• o represents

Rr

• R represents:
• ${\displaystyle \mathbb {R} }$ represents the set of real numbers and various algebraic structures built upon the set of real numbers, such as ${\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{n}}$.
• r represents:

References

1. ^ a b c Weisstein, Eric W. "Triangle". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
2. ^ a b "Hexadecimal - Hexadecimal and character sets - GCSE Computer Science Revision". BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
3. ^ a b "DECIMAL function". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
4. ^ "BIPM - SI base units". bipm.org. 2014-10-07. Archived from the original on 2014-10-07.
5. ^ a b "BIPM - SI derived units". bipm.org. 2014-10-07. Archived from the original on 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
6. ^ Jensen, William B. (December 2005). "The Origins of the Symbols A and Z for Atomic Weight and Number". Journal of Chemical Education. 82 (12): 1764. Bibcode:2005JChEd..82.1764J. doi:10.1021/ed082p1764. ISSN 0021-9584.
7. ^ "22.1: Helmholtz Energy". Chemistry LibreTexts. 2014-06-21. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
8. ^ "The magnetic vector potential". farside.ph.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
9. ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "Glaisher-Kinkelin Constant". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
10. Stohner, Jürgen; Quack, Martin (2011). "A Concise Summary of Quantities, Units, and Symbols in Physical Chemistry" (PDF). Chemistry International. De Gruyter. 33 (4): Centerfold.
11. ^ "6.2.3.1: Arrhenius Equation". Chemistry LibreTexts. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
12. ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "Algebraic Number". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
13. ^ Liebscher, Dierck-Ekkehard (2005). Cosmology. Berlin: Springer. pp. 53–77. ISBN 9783540232612.
14. ^ "Earliest Uses of Symbols from Geometry". Maths History. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
15. ^ Conversion factors and tables. Part 1. Basis of tables. Conversion factors. British Standards Institution (3rd revision ed.). London: BSI. 1974. p. 7. ISBN 0-580-08471-X. OCLC 32212391.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
16. ^ Conversion factors and tables. Part 1. Basis of tables. Conversion factors. British Standards Institution (3rd revision ed.). London: BSI. 1974. p. 4. ISBN 0-580-08471-X. OCLC 32212391.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
17. ^ "Arithmetic Progression - Formula, Examples | AP Formula". Cuemath. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
18. ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "Ball". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
19. ^ Prasad, Paras N. (16 January 2004). Introduction to Biophotonics. John Wiley & Sons. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-471-46539-3.
20. ^ Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. 1993. p. 20. ISBN 0-632-03583-8.
21. ^ "6.4.1: Eyring equation". Chemistry LibreTexts. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
22. ^ "Quantum Numbers for Atoms". Chemistry LibreTexts. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
23. ^ a b
24. ^ a b "Velocity, acceleration and distance - Motion - Edexcel - GCSE Physics (Single Science) Revision - Edexcel". BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
25. ^ "frequency | Definition, Symbols, & Formulas | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
26. ^ Durrer, Ruth (2021). The cosmic microwave background (2nd ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-47152-4. OCLC 1182021387.
27. ^ Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. 1993. p. 56. ISBN 0-632-03583-8.