TeXipedia

nu

Represents a lowercase Greek letter commonly used as a variable in mathematics and physics, particularly for frequencies and degrees of freedom.

Overview

Widely employed across scientific disciplines, particularly in mathematical physics and statistical mechanics.

  • Essential in quantum mechanics for denoting frequency of electromagnetic radiation
  • Used in fluid dynamics to represent kinematic viscosity
  • Common in statistics for expressing degrees of freedom in probability distributions
  • Appears frequently in thermodynamics and wave equations
  • Often paired with other Greek letters in mathematical formulas and scientific notation

Examples

Frequency variable in wave equations.

f(x,t)=Asin⁡(2πνt−kx)f(x,t) = A \sin(2\pi\nu t - kx) 
f(x,t) = A \sin(2\pi\nu t - kx)

Kinematic viscosity in fluid dynamics.

Re=ULνRe = \frac{UL}{\nu} 
Re = \frac{UL}{\nu}

Degrees of freedom in statistical mechanics.

χν2=∑i=1n(Oi−Ei)2Ei\chi^2_{\nu} = \sum_{i=1}^{n} \frac{(O_i - E_i)^2}{E_i} 
\chi^2_{\nu} = \sum_{i=1}^{n} \frac{(O_i - E_i)^2}{E_i}