Why Does Physics Use Greek Letters?

  • Thread starter lawtonfogle
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In summary, the use of Greek letters in physics is due to the fact that they ran out of English letters to represent certain concepts. It may also have been chosen for its perceived intelligence or for the honor it gives to the ancient Greek culture. Some have even suggested using more obscure alphabets, such as the Glagolithic Alphabet, to further confuse people. However, this alphabet is not commonly used in physics.
  • #1
lawtonfogle
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[tex] \theta \mu \omega \beta [/tex]

Hope those turn out right. Anyways, half of physics seems to be greek. But why greek? Did some guy just think greek looked good, and everyone has used it sense? Is it a type of honor that we give greek by using it?
 
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  • #2
Most people that tried physics claimed it looked all "Greek and Latin". This way, they're all not terribly wrong ...
 
  • #3
I think its because they ran out of (english) letters to represent stuff so they turned to the Greek Alphabet.
 
  • #4
...or maybe it looked smart or something.
 
  • #5
To really confuse people, replace the Greek alphabet with something more obscure and alien-looking that'll really make people scratch their heads, like the Glagolithic Alphabet...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Glagolithic_tablet.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glagolithic
 
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FAQ: Why Does Physics Use Greek Letters?

Why is physics often referred to as "Greek"?

The term "Greek" is often used to describe physics because many of the fundamental principles and laws of physics were first discovered by ancient Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle and Archimedes.

Is there a direct connection between Greek culture and physics?

While many Greek philosophers made important contributions to the development of physics, there is no direct connection between Greek culture and physics. Physics is a universal science that is studied and applied by people of all cultures.

How does the Greek language influence physics terminology?

Many terms in physics, such as "kinetics" and "dynamics", are derived from Greek words. This is because early Greek philosophers were the first to develop concepts and theories related to motion and forces.

Are there any significant differences between Greek physics and modern physics?

The principles and laws of physics discovered by Greek philosophers are still valid today, but they have been expanded upon and refined by modern scientists. Some theories, such as Aristotle's theory of motion, have been disproven by modern experiments.

Is it necessary to have a background in Greek philosophy to understand physics?

No, a background in Greek philosophy is not necessary to understand physics. While it may provide some historical context, the fundamentals of physics can be understood and applied without knowledge of Greek philosophy.

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