Delta (δ) in HTML
Delta is the fourth Greek letter, written Δ and δ. The capital is at U+0394 and the small letter at U+03B4.
At a glance
- Character
- Δ δ
- Named entity
- Δ δ
- Decimal reference
- Δ δ
- Hex reference
- Δ δ
- Unicode code point
- U+0394, U+03B4
- Unicode name
- GREEK CAPITAL LETTER DELTA, GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA
- In the entity reference
- Greek
In detail
The capital delta means a finite change in a quantity: the value after minus the value before. That is a specific claim, and it is why a dashboard label written with it should be followed by the quantity it applies to rather than standing alone. A bare triangle beside a number tells the reader that something changed and not what.
The small delta means an infinitesimal or very small change, and in calculus it appears in the definition of a limit alongside epsilon. A partial derivative uses a third character again, the partial differential at U+2202, which is a rounded d and not a Greek letter at all despite frequently being called one.
There is a lookalike that catches people. The increment sign at U+2206 is drawn as the same triangle and is a mathematical operator rather than a Greek letter. Font rendering will not distinguish them, sorting will, and a search for one will not find the other. Where you mean the letter, use the letter.
In version control and data synchronisation, delta is the English word for a set of changes, and it is spelled out. Writing the Greek capital in a commit message or a file name is the kind of cleverness that makes text unsearchable for everyone who comes after you.
Examples
<p>Δt = 4.2 s</p>
<p>Δ revenue: +12.4% quarter on quarter</p><p>Greek capital delta: Δ (U+0394)</p>
<p>increment sign: ∆ (U+2206)</p>
<p>black up pointing triangle: ▲ (U+25B2)</p>Things that catch people out
- The increment sign at U+2206 renders identically to the capital delta and is a different code point. Pick the letter unless you specifically want the operator.
- A delta in a metric card with no unit and no baseline is decoration. Say what changed and over what period.
- The partial differential is not a delta. Substituting one for the other in an equation changes what is being differentiated with respect to what.
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The Greek letter epsilon at U+0395 and U+03B5, its entity forms, the lunate variant, and what machine epsilon means in floating point comparison.
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The Greek letter gamma at U+0393 and U+03B3, its entity forms, what gamma correction actually encodes, and the gamma function that shares the letter.
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Named entities for summation, integral, partial differential, set membership, union, intersection and the logical connectives, with their code points.
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The Greek letter theta at U+0398 and U+03B8, its entity forms, its role as the default angle variable, and what big theta asserts about an algorithm.
Lambda (λ) in HTML
The Greek letter lambda at U+039B and U+03BB, its entity forms, its use for wavelength and decay, and where the anonymous function name came from.
Mu (μ) in HTML
The Greek letter mu at U+039C and U+03BC, its entity forms, the separate micro sign it duplicates, and its meanings in statistics and mechanics.
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