Theta

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This article is about the Greek letter. For other uses, see Theta (disambiguation).
"θ" redirects here. For the letter used in IPA, see Voiceless dental fricative.
Not to be confused with Fita, Latin theta, or Oe (Cyrillic).
For similar symbols, see Ø (disambiguation).

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Theta uc lc.svg
Greek alphabet
Αα Alpha Νν Nu
Ββ Beta Ξξ Xi
Γγ Gamma Οο Omicron
Δδ Delta Ππ Pi
Εε Epsilon Ρρ Rho
Ζζ Zeta Σσς Sigma
Ηη Eta Ττ Tau
Θθ Theta Υυ Upsilon
Ιι Iota Φφ Phi
Κκ Kappa Χχ Chi
Λλ Lambda Ψψ Psi
Μμ Mu Ωω Omega
History
Archaic local variants

ϜͰϺϘͲͶ

Diacritics Ligatures

Numerals

ϛ (6)ϟ (90)ϡ (900)

Use in other languages

Bactrian Coptic Albanian

Related topics

Use as scientific symbols

Category

vte

Theta (UK: /ˈθiːtə/, US: /ˈθeɪtə/; uppercase: Θ or ϴ; lowercase: θ[note 1] or ϑ;

Ancient Greek: θέτα thē̂ta [tʰɛ̂ːta]; Modern: θήτα thī́ta [ˈθita]) is the eighth
letter of the Greek alphabet, derived from the Phoenician letter Teth Phoenician
teth.svg. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 9.
Contents
 1 Greek
2 Forms
3 Latin
4 Cyrillic
5 International Phonetic Alphabet
6 Mathematics and Science
6.1 Lower case
6.2 Upper case
7 Symbolism
7.1 Abbreviation
8 Character encodings
9 See also
10 Notes and references
10.1 Notes
10.2 References

Greek
The alphabet on a black figure vessel, with a point-and-circle theta.

In Ancient Greek, θ represented the aspirated voiceless dental plosive IPA: [t̪ʰ],

but in Modern Greek it represents the voiceless dental fricative IPA: [θ].

Forms

In its archaic form, θ was written as a cross within a circle (as in the Etruscan A
symbol of a cross within a circle or Another symbol of a cross within a circle),
and later, as a line or point in circle (The symbol of a line within a circle or
The symbol of a point within a circle).

The cursive form ϑ was retained by Unicode as U+03D1 ϑ GREEK THETA SYMBOL, separate
from U+03B8 θ GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA. (There is also U+03F4 ϴ GREEK CAPITAL THETA
SYMBOL). For the purpose of writing Greek text, the two can be font variants of a
single character, but θ and ϑ are also used as distinct symbols in technical and
mathematical contexts. Extensive lists of examples follow below at Mathematics and
Science. U+03D1 ϑ GREEK THETA SYMBOL (script theta) is also common in biblical and
theological usage e.g. πρόϑεσις instead of πρόθεσις (means placing in public or
laying out a corpse).
Latin
The name ARAÐÐOVNA on a Gaulish tombstone.

In Latin script used for the Gaulish language, theta inspired the tau gallicum
(Latin capital letter Tau gallicum.svg). The phonetic value of the tau gallicum is
thought to have been [t͡s].[1] Theta itself is used alongside Latin letters in
Halkomelem, an indigenous North American language.
Cyrillic

The early Cyrillic letter fita (Ѳ, ѳ) developed from θ. This letter existed in the
Russian alphabet until the 1918 Russian orthography reform.
International Phonetic Alphabet

In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), [θ] represents the voiceless dental
fricative, as in thick or thin. It does not represent the consonant in the, which
is the voiced dental fricative. A similar-looking symbol, [ɵ], which is described
as a lowercase barred o, indicates in the IPA a close-mid central rounded vowel.
Mathematics and Science

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citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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Lower case

The lowercase letter θ is used as a symbol for:

A plane angle in geometry

An unknown variable in trigonometry
The voiceless dental fricative, spelled θ
A special function of several complex variables
One of the Chebyshev functions in prime number theory
The potential temperature in meteorology
The score of a test taker in item response theory
Theta Type Replication: a type of bacterial DNA replication specific to
circular chromosomes
Threshold value of an artificial neuron
A Bayer designation letter applied to a star in a constellation; usually the
eighth star so labelled but not necessarily the eighth-brightest as viewed from
Earth
The statistical parameter frequently used in writing the likelihood function
The Watterson estimator for the population mutation rate in population genetics
Indicates a minimum optimum integration level determined by the intersection of
GG and LL schedules (The GG-LL schedules are tools used in analyzing the potential
benefits of a country pegging their domestic currency to a foreign currency.)
The reserve ratio of banks in economic models
The ordinal collapsing function developed by Solomon Feferman[2]
Heaviside step function
In pharmacology, the fraction of ligand bound to a macromolecule based on the
Hill Equation

Upper case

The uppercase letter Θ is used as a symbol for:

Dimension of temperature, by SI standard (in italics)

Dimensionless temperature in transport phenomena
An asymptotically tight bound in the analysis of algorithms (big O notation)
A certain ordinal number in set theory
Pentaquarks, exotic baryons in particle physics
A brain signal frequency (beta, alpha, theta, delta) ranging from 4–8 Hz
One of the variables known as "Greeks" in finance, representing time decay of
options or the change in the intrinsic value of an option divided by the number of
days until the option expires
A variable indicating temperature difference in heat transfer
Measuring the angle of incident X-ray beam during XRD

Symbolism
θ (θάνατος, death) in a mosaic

In ancient times, Tau was used as a symbol for life or resurrection, whereas the
eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, theta, was considered the symbol of death.
[citation needed]

According to Porphyry of Tyros, the Egyptians used an X within a circle as a symbol

of the soul; having a value of nine, it was used as a symbol for Ennead. Johannes
Lydus says that the Egyptians used a symbol for Kosmos in the form of theta, with a
fiery circle representing the world, and a snake spanning the middle representing
Agathos Daimon (literally: good spirit).[3]

The Egyptians also used the symbol of a point within a circle (The symbol of a
point within a circle, the sun disc) to represent the sun, which might be a
possible origin of its use as the Sun's astrological glyph. It is worthwhile to
note that θῆτα (theta) has the same numerical value in isopsephy as Ηλιος (Helios):
318.
Abbreviation
Main article: Theta nigrum

In classical Athens, it was used as an abbreviation for the Greek θάνατος

(Thanatos, "death") and as it vaguely resembles a human skull,[citation needed]
theta was used as a warning symbol of death, in the same way, that skull and
crossbones are used in modern times. It survives on potsherds used by Athenians
when voting for the death penalty.[3] Petrus de Dacia in a document from 1291
relates the idea that theta was used to brand criminals as empty ciphers, and the
branding rod was affixed to the crossbar spanning the circle.[4] For this reason,
the use of the number 9 was sometimes avoided where the connotation was felt to be
unlucky—the mint marks of some Late Imperial Roman coins famously have the sum ΔΕ
or ΕΔ (delta and epsilon, that is 4 and 5) substituted as a euphemism where a Θ (9)
would otherwise be expected.

Greek Life

The names of many American fraternities and sororities are named with Greek
letters, including Theta.
Character encodings

Greek Theta

Character information Preview Θ θ ϑ ϴ ᶿ

Unicode name GREEK CAPITAL LETTER THETA GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA GREEK
THETA SYMBOL GREEK CAPITAL THETA SYMBOL MODIFIER LETTER SMALL THETA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 920 U+0398 952 U+03B8 977 U+03D1 1012 U+03F4
7615 U+1DBF
UTF-8 206 152 CE 98 206 184 CE B8 207 145 CF 91
207 180 CF B4 225 182 191 E1 B6 BF
Numeric character reference Θ Θ θ θ ϑ
ϑ ϴ ϴ ᶿ ᶿ
Named character reference Θ θ ϑ, ϑ,
ϑ
DOS Greek 135 87 159 9F
DOS Greek-2 172 AC 226 E2
Windows 1253 200 C8 232 E8
TeX \Theta \theta \vartheta

Coptic Thethe

Character information Preview Ⲑ ⲑ

Unicode name COPTIC CAPITAL LETTER THETHE COPTIC SMALL LETTER THETHE
Encodings decimal hex dec hex
Unicode 11408 U+2C90 11409 U+2C91
UTF-8 226 178 144 E2 B2 90 226 178 145 E2 B2 91
Numeric character reference Ⲑ Ⲑ ⲑ ⲑ

Cyrillic Fita

Character information Preview Ѳ ѳ

Unicode name CYRILLIC CAPITAL LETTER FITA CYRILLIC SMALL LETTER FITA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex
Unicode 1138 U+0472 1139 U+0473
UTF-8 209 178 D1 B2 209 179 D1 B3
Numeric character reference Ѳ Ѳ ѳ ѳ

Mathematical Theta

Character information Preview 𝚯 𝛉 𝚹 𝛝

Unicode name MATHEMATICAL BOLD
CAPITAL THETA MATHEMATICAL BOLD
SMALL THETA MATHEMATICAL BOLD
CAPITAL THETA SYMBOL MATHEMATICAL BOLD
THETA SYMBOL
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 120495 U+1D6AF 120521 U+1D6C9 120505 U+1D6B9
120541 U+1D6DD
UTF-8 240 157 154 175 F0 9D 9A AF 240 157 155 137 F0 9D 9B 89
240 157 154 185 F0 9D 9A B9 240 157 155 157 F0 9D 9B 9D
UTF-16 55349 57007 D835 DEAF 55349 57033 D835 DEC9 55349 57017
D835 DEB9 55349 57053 D835 DEDD
Numeric character reference 𝚯 𝚯 𝛉 𝛉
𝚹 𝚹 𝛝 𝛝

Character information Preview 𝛩 𝜃 𝛳 𝜗

Unicode name MATHEMATICAL ITALIC
CAPITAL THETA MATHEMATICAL ITALIC
SMALL THETA MATHEMATICAL ITALIC
CAPITAL THETA SYMBOL MATHEMATICAL ITALIC
THETA SYMBOL
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 120553 U+1D6E9 120579 U+1D703 120563 U+1D6F3
120599 U+1D717
UTF-8 240 157 155 169 F0 9D 9B A9 240 157 156 131 F0 9D 9C 83
240 157 155 179 F0 9D 9B B3 240 157 156 151 F0 9D 9C 97
UTF-16 55349 57065 D835 DEE9 55349 57091 D835 DF03 55349 57075
D835 DEF3 55349 57111 D835 DF17
Numeric character reference 𝛩 𝛩 𝜃 𝜃
𝛳 𝛳 𝜗 𝜗

Character information Preview 𝜣 𝜽 𝜭 𝝑

Unicode name MATHEMATICAL BOLD ITALIC
CAPITAL THETA MATHEMATICAL BOLD ITALIC
SMALL THETA MATHEMATICAL BOLD ITALIC
CAPITAL THETA SYMBOL MATHEMATICAL BOLD ITALIC
CAPITAL THETA SYMBOL
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 120611 U+1D723 120637 U+1D73D 120621 U+1D72D
120657 U+1D751
UTF-8 240 157 156 163 F0 9D 9C A3 240 157 156 189 F0 9D 9C BD
240 157 156 173 F0 9D 9C AD 240 157 157 145 F0 9D 9D 91
UTF-16 55349 57123 D835 DF23 55349 57149 D835 DF3D 55349 57133
D835 DF2D 55349 57169 D835 DF51
Numeric character reference 𝜣 𝜣 𝜽 𝜽
𝜭 𝜭 𝝑 𝝑

Character information Preview 𝝝 𝝷 𝚹 𝞋

Unicode name MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD CAPITAL THETA MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD SMALL THETA MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD CAPITAL THETA SYMBOL MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD THETA SYMBOL
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 120669 U+1D75D 120695 U+1D777 120505 U+1D6B9
120715 U+1D78B
UTF-8 240 157 157 157 F0 9D 9D 9D 240 157 157 183 F0 9D 9D B7
240 157 154 185 F0 9D 9A B9 240 157 158 139 F0 9D 9E 8B
UTF-16 55349 57181 D835 DF5D 55349 57207 D835 DF77 55349 57017
D835 DEB9 55349 57227 D835 DF8B
Numeric character reference 𝝝 𝝝 𝝷 𝝷
𝚹 𝚹 𝞋 𝞋

Character information Preview 𝞗 𝞱 𝜭 𝟅

Unicode name MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD ITALIC CAPITAL THETA MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD ITALIC SMALL THETA MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD ITALIC CAPITAL THETA SYMBOL MATHEMATICAL SANS-SERIF
BOLD ITALIC THETA SYMBOL
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 120727 U+1D797 120753 U+1D7B1 120621 U+1D72D
120773 U+1D7C5
UTF-8 240 157 158 151 F0 9D 9E 97 240 157 158 177 F0 9D 9E B1
240 157 156 173 F0 9D 9C AD 240 157 159 133 F0 9D 9F 85
UTF-16 55349 57239 D835 DF97 55349 57265 D835 DFB1 55349 57133
D835 DF2D 55349 57285 D835 DFC5
Numeric character reference 𝞗 𝞗 𝞱 𝞱
𝜭 𝜭 𝟅 𝟅

These characters are used only as mathematical symbols. Stylized Greek text should
be encoded using normal Greek letters, with markup and formatting to indicate text
style.
See also
Look up Θ or θ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ѳ, ѳ—Fita, a letter of the Ukrainian alphabet derived from the Greek theta
ʘ—Bilabial click
Dental fricatives
Theta nigrum
Latin theta

Notes and references

Notes

which resembles digit 0 with a horizontal line.

References

Everson, Michael; Lilley, Chris (2019-05-26). "L2/19-179: Proposal for the addition
of four Latin characters for Gaulish" (PDF).
http://math.stanford.edu/~feferman/papers/id-saga.pdf[bare URL PDF]
Barry, Kieren (1998), The Greek Qabalah: Alphabetic Mysticism and Numerology in the
Ancient World, Samuel Weiser, p. 73, ISBN 1-57863-110-6.

Kaplan, Robert (2000), The Nothing that Is: A Natural History of Zero, Oxford;
New York: Oxford University Press, p. 66, Bibcode:2000tnti.book.....K, ISBN 0-19-
514237-3.

Categories:

ThetaGreek lettersPhonetic transcription symbols

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