Omega

Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system, it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" (ō mega, mega meaning 'great'), as opposed to omicron, which means "little O" (o mikron, micron meaning "little").

Greek Alphabet

Omega (uppercase Ω, lowercase ω) is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. It is used to denote the first transfinite cardinal number, which represents the "size" of any infinite set that can be matched with the infinite set of natural numbers.

Phonetic Use

In Phonetics, the lowercase ω is used as a symbol to represent open-mid back rounded vowel. It is also used in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Symbolic Representation

Omega is often used to denote the last, the end, or the ultimate limit of a set, in contrast to alpha, the first letter of the Greek Alphabet. In the New Testament Book of Revelation, God is declared to be the "alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last".

Mathematics and Science

In Mathematics, the letter omega is used as a variable to represent a set of natural numbers. In Physics, omega is used to represent angular frequency or angular velocity. In Computer Science, omega is often used to denote the worst-case space complexity of an algorithm.

Other Uses

Omega is also used in a variety of other fields. For example, it is used in Chemistry to denote the oxygen-18 isotope, and in Astronomy to represent the density of the universe.

See Also

• Alpha
• Greek Alphabet
• Phonetics
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Computer Science
• Chemistry
• Astronomy

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  Omega symbol in modern Greek
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  Uncial style Omega
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  Classical Greek Omega
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