The Greek letter λ (lambda) was derived from the ancient Phoenician letter 𐤋 (lāmed) which meant “goad” (a cattle prod).
The lower-case letter λ has many uses in maths, engineering and sciences, including:
- in biology: coliphage λ
- in engineering, mathematics and physics: the wavelength
- in mathematical logic: λ-calculus
- in organic chemistry: λ-convention for non-standard valence states
- in immunology: a type of the immunoglobulin light chain
- in linear algebra: an eigenvalue
- in nuclear physics: the exponential decay constant
- in physics: the linear charge density, λq
λ is also one of the international symbols for LGBT rights.
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