The University of British Columbia - Department of Physics and Astronomy

MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLS COMMONLY USED IN PHYSICS

Symbols:     T_EX   |   Roman   |   Greek

Web version by Jess H. Brewer

$\Delta$    " a change in . . . " (e.g. as in $\Delta t$).

$\to$    " . . . approaches . . . " (e.g. as in $\Delta t \to 0$).

OPERATORS: (these all operate to the right)

$\partial$ = partial derivative operator   as in ${\partial F \over \partial x}$ .
$\nabla$ = gradient operator:

$\nabla$$\phi \,\equiv\, \hat{\imath} \, {\partial \phi \over \partial x} + \hat{\jm . . . . . . partial \phi \over \partial y} + \hat{k} \, {\partial \phi \over \partial z}$
${\displaystyle \int}$ = integral operator as in ${\displaystyle \int_a^b y(x)dx }$

LOGICAL SYMBOLS: (handy shorthand)

$\equiv$   " . . . is equivalent to . . . " (see above)
.^..   "Therefore . . . "       $\Rightarrow$   " . . . implies . . . "
$\exists$   "there exists . . . "       $\ni$   " . . . such that . . . "

/    [a slash through any logical symbol]
denotes negation
(e.g. $\not\Rightarrow$   " . . . does not imply . . . ")