Tau

Overview of the Greek letter Tau

Template:Greek alphabet

Tau (_, _)

Phoenician letter Taw

Tau (uppercase _, lowercase _) is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 300. The letter is derived from the Phoenician letter Taw, which is depicted in the image to the right.

History

Tau originated from the Phoenician alphabet, where it was called Taw. The Phoenician letter Taw is the ancestor of the Greek Tau, as well as the Latin letter T and the Cyrillic letter _.

Usage in Greek

In the Greek language, Tau represents the voiceless alveolar plosive /t/. It is used in various Greek words and is a common letter in the Greek alphabet.

Mathematical and Scientific Uses

Tau is used in various scientific and mathematical contexts. In mathematics, it is sometimes used to represent the golden ratio, although this is more commonly denoted by the letter Phi. In physics, Tau can represent torque, the time constant in RC circuits, or the tau lepton in particle physics.

Related Letters and Symbols

• T - The Latin letter T, derived from Tau.
• _ - The Cyrillic letter _, also derived from Tau.
• Taw - The Phoenician letter from which Tau is derived.

Related Pages

• Greek alphabet
• Phoenician alphabet
• Greek numerals
• Golden ratio