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Sigma (upper case S, lower case s; Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 S??µa, lower case in word-final position ?) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet

The Greek alphabet is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th century BC or early 8th century BCE....
, and carries the /s/ sound. In the system of Greek numerals
Greek numerals

Greek numerals are a numeral system using letters of the Greek alphabet. They are also known by the names Milesian numerals, Alexandrian numerals, or alphabetic numerals....
 it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, and the word is not all upper case, the final form is used.






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Madaba Jerusalem Mosaic
Sigma (upper case S, lower case s; Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 S??µa, lower case in word-final position ?) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet

The Greek alphabet is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th century BC or early 8th century BCE....
, and carries the /s/ sound. In the system of Greek numerals
Greek numerals

Greek numerals are a numeral system using letters of the Greek alphabet. They are also known by the names Milesian numerals, Alexandrian numerals, or alphabetic numerals....
 it has a value of 200. When used at the end of a word, and the word is not all upper case, the final form is used. (e.g. (Odysseus) - Note the two sigmas in the center of the name, and the word-final sigma at the end.) Not to be confused with the cedilla
Cedilla

A cedilla or cedille is a hook added under certain consonant letters as a diacritic to modify their pronunciation....
 ç
C

C or c is a consonant in Esperanto orthography, representing a voiceless postalveolar affricate , and is equivalent to the voiceless postalveolar affricate, , or the voiceless retroflex affricate, ...
.

The letter is ultimately derived from Phoenician
Phoenician alphabet

The Phoenician alphabet is a continuation of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, by convention taken to originate around 1050 BC. It was used for the writing of Phoenician language, a Northern Semitic languages language, used by the civilization of Phoenicia....
 Šin
Shin (letter)

Shin is the twenty-first letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician language, Aramaic language, Hebrew language , and Arabic alphabet ....
 . However, its name derives from Samekh
Samekh

Samekh or Simketh is the fifteenth letter in many Semitic languages alphabets, including Phoenician alphabet, Hebrew alphabet, and Aramaic alphabet, representing ....
.

The uppercase form of sigma was borrowed into the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. It evolved from the western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumae alphabet, and was initially developed by the Ancient Romes to write the Latin....
 to serve as the uppercase of esh
Esh (letter)

Esh is a character used in conjunction with the Latin alphabet, introduced by Isaac Pitman in his 1847 Phonotypic Alphabet to represent the voiceless postalveolar fricative , and is today used in the International Phonetic Alphabet as well as in the alphabets of some African languages....
 (lowercase: ).

Disigma, or "double sigma", is a non-current term for the character Sampi
Sampi

Sampi is an obsolete letter of the Greek alphabet and has a numeric value of 900 when used as a mathematical character . It may have been derived from the older letter san ....
.

Lunate sigma

In Eastern forms of Greek writing (as opposed to the Western Greek alphabet used in the European Greek colonies) and in the Middle Ages, the lunate sigma (upper case , lower case ) — which resembles, but which is not at all related to, the Latin letter
Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. It evolved from the western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumae alphabet, and was initially developed by the Ancient Romes to write the Latin....
 C
C

C or c is a consonant in Esperanto orthography, representing a voiceless postalveolar affricate , and is equivalent to the voiceless postalveolar affricate, , or the voiceless retroflex affricate, ...
 — was often used. Lunate sigma was frequently used for writing Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek

Medieval Greek, also known as Byzantine Greek , is a cover term for all forms of the Greek language that were spoken and written during the time of the Byzantine Empire....
, and can still be seen in inscriptions in Greek Orthodox churches
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
, and also in certain printed editions of classical authors.

The form of the Cyrillic letter
Cyrillic alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet is a family of alphabets, subsets of which are used by five Slavic languages national languages as well as non-Slavic . It is also used by many other languages of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia and other languages in the past....
 ?
Es (Cyrillic)

eading=Cyrillic letter Es|Image=...
 [s] and Coptic letter
Coptic alphabet

The Coptic alphabet is the script used for writing the Coptic language. The repertoire of glyphs is based on the Greek alphabet augmented by letters borrowed from the Demotic and is first Alphabetic Script used for the Egyptian Language....
 sima are derived from lunate sigma.

On coins from the Hellenistic period in India, the script of later coins sometimes use lunate sigma. This sigma continued to be written this way also in Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek

Medieval Greek, also known as Byzantine Greek , is a cover term for all forms of the Greek language that were spoken and written during the time of the Byzantine Empire....
.

A dotted lunate sigma (sigma periestigmenon, encoded at U+03FE ) was used by Aristarchus of Samothrace
Aristarchus of Samothrace

Aristarchus or Aristarch of Samothrace was a grammarian noted as the most influential of all scholars of Homeric poetry. He was the librarian of the Library of Alexandria Alexandria and seems to have succeeded his teacher Aristophanes of Byzantium Byzantium in that role....
 as an editorial sign indicating that the line so marked is at an incorrect position. Similarly, an antisigma
Antisigma

Antisigma may refer to:*Antisigma, a reversed lunate sigma, encoded at U+03FD may represent an editorial sign introduced by Aristarchus of Samothrace for pre-Classical Greek, used like a dotted lunate sigma , which he also used....
 (encoded at U+03FD ) may mark a line that is out of place. A dotted antisigma (antisigma periestigmenon, encoded at U+03FF ) may indicate a line after which rearrangements should be made, or to variant readings of uncertain priority.

Science and mathematics

Upper case S is used as a symbol for:
  • the summation
    Summation

    Summation is the addition of a set of numbers; the result is their sum or total. An interim or present total of a summation process is termed the running total....
     operator
  • a class of baryon
    Baryon

    Baryons are the family of composite particle subatomic particle made of three quarks, as opposed to the mesons which are the family of composite particles made of one quark and one antiquark....
    s in particle physics
    Particle physics

    Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the elementary particle constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them....
  • macroscopic cross section
    Cross section

    Cross section can refer to:* Cross section , a three-piece rock band from the Mornington Peninsula, Australia* Cross section , the intersection of a 3-dimensional body with a plane...
    s in nuclear
    Nuclear physics

    Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei.The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power and nuclear weapons, but the research field is also the basis for a far wider range of applications, including in the medical sector , in materials engineering...
     and particle physics
    Particle physics

    Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the elementary particle constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them....
  • in economics
    Economics

    File:Ballard Farmers' Market - vegetables.jpgEconomics is the Social sciences that studies the Production theory basics, Distribution , and Consumption of Good and Service ....
     this letter is for the balance
    Balance

    Balance may refer to:...
     of the invoice classes, the overall amount of the debts and demands
  • in linguistics and computer science it is used to refer to the set of symbols that form an alphabet


Lower case s is used for:
  • sigma bond
    Sigma bond

    In chemistry, sigma bonds are the strongest type of covalent bond chemical bond. Sigma bonding is most clearly defined for diatomic molecules using the language and tools of symmetry groups....
    s in chemistry
    Chemistry

    Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
  • the Sigma receptor
    Sigma receptor

    The sigma receptors Sigma-1 receptor and Sigma-2 receptor bind to ligands such as 4-PPBP, SA 4503, Ditolylguanidine, and siramesine....
  • the parametric standard deviation
    Standard deviation

    In statistics, standard deviation is a simple measure of the variability or statistical dispersion of a data set. A low standard deviation indicates that all of the data points are very close to the same value , while high standard deviation indicates that the data are ?spread out? over a large range of values....
     of a population (as opposed to a sample) in statistics
    Statistics

    Statistics is a Mathematics pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. It also provides tools for prediction and forecasting based on data....
  • a quality model for business, Six Sigma
    Six Sigma

    Six Sigma is a Strategic management, originally developed by Motorola, that today enjoys widespread application in many sectors of industry.Six Sigma seeks to identify and remove the causes of defects and errors in manufacturing and business processes....
    , based on the standard deviation
    Standard deviation

    In statistics, standard deviation is a simple measure of the variability or statistical dispersion of a data set. A low standard deviation indicates that all of the data points are very close to the same value , while high standard deviation indicates that the data are ?spread out? over a large range of values....
    , often referred to as "6s"
  • sigma-algebra
    Sigma-algebra

    In mathematics, a s-algebra over a Set X is a nonempty collection S of subsets of X that is Closure under complement ation and countable union s of its members....
    s, sigma-fields and sigma-finiteness
    Sigma-finite measure

    In mathematics, a positive measure μ defined on a sigma-algebra Σ of subsets of a set X is called finite if μ is a finite real number ....
     in measure theory
    Measure (mathematics)

    In mathematics, more specifically in measure theory, a measure on a set is a systematic way to assign to each suitable subset a number, intuitively interpreted as the size of the subset....
    ; more generally, the symbol s serves as a shorthand for "countably
    Countable set

    In mathematics, a countable set is a Set with the same cardinality as some subset of the set of natural numbers. The term was originated by Georg Cantor; it stems from the fact that the natural numbers are often called counting numbers....
    ", e.g. a s-compact topological space
    Topological space

    Topological spaces are mathematical structures that allow the formal definition of concepts such as convergence, connected space, and Continuous function ....
     is one that can be written as a countable union
    Union (set theory)

    In set theory, the term Union refers to a set operation used in the convergence of set elements to form a resultant set containing the elements of both sets....
     of compact subsets
    Compact space

    In mathematics, a topological space is called compact if each of its open covers has a finite set subcover.Note: Some authors such as Nicolas Bourbaki use the term "quasi-compact" for this instead, and reserve the term "compact" for topological spaces that are both Hausdorff spaces and "quasi-compact"....
    .
  • the sum-of-divisors function
    Divisor function

    In mathematics, and specifically in number theory, a divisor function is an arithmetical function related to the divisors of an integer. When referred to as the divisor function, it counts the number of divisors of an integer....
     in number theory
    Number theory

    Number theory is the branch of pure mathematics concerned with the properties of numbers in general, and integers in particular, as well as the wider classes of problems that arise from their study....
  • the Stefan-Boltzmann constant
    Stefan-Boltzmann constant

    The Stefan?Boltzmann constant , a physical constant denoted by the Sigma, is the constant of proportionality in the Stefan?Boltzmann law: the total energy radiated per unit surface area of a black body in unit time is proportional to the fourth power of the thermodynamic temperature....
  • the "sigma factor
    Sigma factor

    A sigma factor is a Prokaryote transcription initiation factor that enables specific binding of RNA polymerase to gene promoters. Different sigma factors are activated in response to different environmental conditions....
    " of RNA polymerase
    RNA polymerase

    RNA polymerase is an enzyme that produces RNA. In cell s, RNAP is needed for constructing RNA chains from DNA genes as templates, a process called Transcription ....
  • a measure of electrical conductivity
    Electrical conductivity

    Electrical conductivity or specific conductance is a measure of a material's ability to electrical conduction an electric current. When an electrical potential difference is placed across a conductor, its movable charges flow, giving rise to an electric current....
  • the Surface charge
    Surface charge

    Surface charge is the electric charge present at an Interface , for instance on the surface of a semiconductor material, or for example, on the surface of a protein in water....
     density in electrostatics
  • Normal stress
    Stress (physics)

    In continuum mechanics, stress is a measure of the average amount of force exerted per unit area. It is a measure of the intensity of the total internal forces acting within a body across imaginary internal surfaces, as a reaction to external applied forces and body forces....
     in continuum mechanics
    Continuum mechanics

    Continuum mechanics is a branch of mechanics that deals with the analysis of the kinematics and mechanical behavior of materials modeled as a continuum, e.g., solids and fluids ....
  • volatility of a stock
    STOCK

    Software for fixed assets management and stock control developed in 2004. Stocktaking process is carried using a hand-held mobile terminal equipped with barcode reader or RFID technology....
     generally needed for options pricing
  • a syllable
    Syllable

    A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of Speech communication sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter....
     in phonology
    Phonology

    Phonology is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use. Just as a language has syntax and vocabulary, it also has a phonology in the sense of a sound system....
  • the spectrum of a matrix , denoted as , in applied mathematics
    Applied mathematics

    Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with the mathematical techniques typically used in the application of mathematical knowledge to other domains....
  • surface tension
    Surface tension

    Surface tension is an attractive property of the surface of a liquid. It is what causes the surface portion of liquid to be attracted to another surface, such as that of another portion of liquid ....
  • In relational algebra sigma is used to define the unary operation selection on a database relation.


Politics

During the 1930s, an upper case S was in use as the symbol of the Ação Integralista Brasileira
Brazilian Integralism

Brazilian Integralism was a Brazilian political movement created in October 1932. Founded and led by Pl?nio Salgado, a literary figure who was relatively famous during the 1922 Modern Art Week, the movement had adopted some characteristics of European mass movements of those times, specifically of the Italian fascism, but differentiating i...
, a radical right-wing party in Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
.

Miscellaneous

  • Mercury-Atlas 8
    Mercury-Atlas 8

    Mercury-Atlas 8 was a Mercury program manned space mission launched on October 3, 1962. The spacecraft was named Sigma 7 and completed six earth orbits piloted by astronaut Wally Schirra....
     was called Sigma 7.


  • Sigma 2,3,5,6,7,8,9 computers produced by Xerox Data Systems
    Xerox

    Xerox Corporation is a global document management company which manufactures and sells a range of color and black-and-white Computer printer, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies....
     in the 1970s following purchase of SDS, Scientific Data Systems, by it. Successful range of scientific computers similar to IBM 370's.
  • is the name of a system for ontology
    Ontology

    Ontology in philosophy is the study of the nature of being, existence or reality in general, as well as of the basic category of being and their relations....
     development and reasoning


  • Project Sigma was the name of a proposal for a "spontaneous university" by the Scottish writer Alexander Trocchi
    Alexander Trocchi

    Alexander Whitelaw Robertson Trocchi was a Scotland novelist....
    .


  • There are many fraternities and sororities whose members go by the name of "sigmas" among these Phi Sigma Alpha
    Phi Sigma Alpha

    Phi Sigma Alpha Fraternity commonly known as La Sigma, is a Puerto Rican fraternities and sororities established originally as the Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity on October 22 of 1928 at the University of Puerto Rico by 12 students and one professor....
     fraternity.


  • Sigma is the name of the main antagonist of the video game series Megaman X.


See also

  • Antisigma
    Antisigma

    Antisigma may refer to:*Antisigma, a reversed lunate sigma, encoded at U+03FD may represent an editorial sign introduced by Aristarchus of Samothrace for pre-Classical Greek, used like a dotted lunate sigma , which he also used....
  • Sampi
    Sampi

    Sampi is an obsolete letter of the Greek alphabet and has a numeric value of 900 when used as a mathematical character . It may have been derived from the older letter san ....
  • Greek letters used in mathematics, science, and engineering