# Greek Lambda Symbol, The 11th Letter Of The Greek Alphabet

We carry on our series on Greek symbols with the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet.  Here is all you need to know about the Lambda symbol, its meaning, origins and uses in science, math and other fields.

## The Origins of the Greek Lambda Symbol

Lambda ((uppercase Λ, lowercase λ; Greek: λάμ(β)δα) is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet. Just like other Greek alphabet letters, it also has a role in the Greek numeral system, representing a value of 30.

It is considered to have been derived from the Phoenician letter Lamed. The Latin letter L and Cyrillic letter El. Ancient grammarians had evidence that the pronunciation for the letter in Ancient Greek is la:bda. Meanwhile, it is pronounced as lamda in Modern Greek.

The Lambda sign has undergone various modifications over the centuries. Most of the variants had two straight strokes, one of which is longer than the other. Meanwhile, other variants had a vertical line and a horizontal stroke going to the right. Ultimately, the Greeks settled on the variant that had the angle at the top, while the Romans had the angle at the lower-left.

## How the Lambda Symbol is Used in the Modern Age

Because of their uniqueness and the fact that many of the first philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians were from Greece, the Greek alphabet letters have been widely used to signify different things. Because of this, the Lambda symbol holds different meanings.

### Uses for the Uppercase Lambda

In particle physics, the uppercase Lambda symbol signifies the lambda particle, which is a type of subatomic particle. It is also used to collectively represent the set of logical axioms, known as Lambda, in the axiomatic method of logical deduction. Meanwhile, in number theory, Lambda signifies the von Mangoldt function.

In computer science, Lambda signifies the time window wherein a certain process is observed to determine the working memory set, which is significant in the virtual memory management of a digital computer.

Meanwhile, in astrophysics, the Lambda sign is used to represent the likelihood of a  small body encountering a planet or dwarf planet, which may lead to deflection. Generally, a body with a high-value lambda is expected to have a clear neighborhood around its orbit.

In chemistry, the uppercase Lambda is used to denote the lambda isomers. In electrochemistry, it symbolizes an electrolyte solution’s equivalent conductance.

### Uses for the Lowercase Lambda

There are also various uses for the lowercase Lambda. For instance, in evolutionary algorithms, the symbol is used to signify the number of offsprings that may be generated from a current population in a generation.

Meanwhile, in physics, mathematics, and electronics engineering, the Lambda denotes the wavelength of any kind of wave.

Lambda also denotes the radioactivity decay constant, which is used in nuclear physics. This constant is closely related to a radioactive material’s half-life.

In computer science and mathematical logic, the lowercase Lambda symbol is used to denote anonymous functions, as expressed with the lambda calculus concepts.

In multi-dimensional calculus, the symbol is used to denote a Lagrange multiplier. Meanwhile, in solid-state electronics, the lowercase Lambda is used to indicate a MOSFET’s (metal-oxide-semiconductor filed-efficient transistor) channel length modulation parameter. On the other hand, it is used in ecology to denote a population’s long-term intrinsic growth rate.

In mathematical set theory, the sign symbolizes the Lebesgue measure. Meanwhile, it is used for the term, Goodman and Kruskal’s lambda, which indicates the proportional reduction error in statistics.

The lowercase Lambda is also used in electrochemistry to denote the ionic conductance of a particular ion. In neurobiology, the symbol denotes the length constant of the electric potential in a cell membrane. Furthermore, in heat transfer, Lambda signifies the heat of vaporization in every mole of a material.

## How to Type the Lambda Symbol

Given the various ways that the Lambda sign is used in different fields of study and industry, you may eventually find the need to insert it in your documents. Fortunately, even if you’re using an English keyboard, there are various ways to type and add the Lambda uppercase and lowercase symbols.

### How to Type the Lambda Symbol in Word

There are three methods for typing the Lambda letter symbols in a Word document.

The first is the ALT keyboard shortcut method. Here, you just have to press and hold the ALT key, then press 955 on the numeric keypad. Remember that this shortcut will only work if you have the full numeric keypad on your keyboard.

The second method uses the Insert tab. Locate the Insert tab, then go to Symbol. The Symbol dialog box will open. On the field, “Subset:” choose “Greek and Coptic” from the dropdown.

Then, on the field “from:” at the lower right, choose “Unicode (hex)” from the dropdown options. Now, look for the Lambda symbol you need to insert.

The final method is to use the Insert > Equation ribbon. When the space for the equation appears, type “\lambda” on the field, then press Enter. The equation should automatically transform into the Lambda sign.

### How to Insert the Lambda Symbol in Excel

There are two easy methods you can use to insert the Lambda symbol into your Excel sheet.

The first method follows the same steps for inserting the symbol into a Word document. Go to the Insert tab, select Symbol, then look for and select the Lambda sign from the options.

Another way is to simply copy a Lambda letter from anywhere on the Web.

### How to Type the Lambda Symbol on Mac

There are several ways a Mac differs from a Windows computer, including how to insert symbols such as the Lambda.

Press Command + Control + Space to open the Characters dialog box. On the search bar, type “lamda” (not lambda). Then, choose the specific Lambda symbol you need from the options.

You can also use the shortcut, Control + G + L for the capital Lambda, and Control + G + l for the lowercase Lambda.