TeXipedia

Tau

Represents the uppercase Greek letter tau, commonly used in mathematics and physics to denote time constants, periods, or specific mathematical quantities.

Overview

A versatile Greek letter that appears frequently across scientific disciplines, particularly in mathematical notation and physical equations.

  • Often used to represent time constants in electrical engineering and physics
  • Common in statistical mechanics to denote correlation times
  • Appears in mathematics to denote specific transformations or operators
  • Used in particle physics to represent the tau lepton
  • Serves as a symbol for torque in mechanical engineering applications

Examples

Using the Tau symbol to represent a time constant in an exponential decay equation.

f(t)=Aet/Tf(t) = A e^{-t/\Tau}
f(t) = A e^{-t/\Tau}

Representing the period of oscillation in a physics equation.

T=1f=2πLg\Tau = \frac{1}{f} = 2\pi\sqrt{\frac{L}{g}}
\Tau = \frac{1}{f} = 2\pi\sqrt{\frac{L}{g}}

Using Tau in a stress tensor equation in mechanics.

Txy=Gγxy\Tau_{xy} = G\gamma_{xy}
\Tau_{xy} = G\gamma_{xy}