TeXipedia

alpha

Represents the first letter of the Greek alphabet, commonly used as a variable or parameter in mathematical and scientific contexts.

Overview

Essential in academic and technical writing across multiple disciplines, serving diverse notation needs:

  • Frequently denotes angles in geometry and trigonometry
  • Common in physics for representing angular acceleration or absorption coefficients
  • Used in statistics to indicate significance levels in hypothesis testing
  • Appears in chemistry for specific types of particles or molecular configurations
  • Often represents parameters in mathematical proofs and equations where multiple variables are needed

Examples

Representing an angle in geometry or trigonometry.

sin⁡(α)=oppositehypotenuse\sin(\alpha) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{hypotenuse}} 
\sin(\alpha) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{hypotenuse}}

Denoting a significance level in statistical hypothesis testing.

H0 is rejected when p<α=0.05H_0 \text{ is rejected when } p < \alpha = 0.05 
H_0 \text{ is rejected when } p < \alpha = 0.05

Using alpha as a parameter in mathematical expressions.

f(x)=αx2+βx+γf(x) = \alpha x^2 + \beta x + \gamma 
f(x) = \alpha x^2 + \beta x + \gamma