Pi Is a Letter

Greek · Page 1 of 3

Name Date
DIRECTIONS: Read the page. Page 2 has the work.
1Read about pi
→
2Page 2: nine letters to place
→
3Page 3: four questions
you have seen this one
It is a letter. Its name is pi, the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and it says p. Here is the capital:
capital pi
Your P is this letter, turned round with the loop closed. In 1706 a mathematician named the circle number with the first letter of the Greek word for “the way round”, like p for perimeter. It was somebody’s initial.

Nine More You Have Already Met

Greek · Page 2 of 3

DIRECTIONS: Write where you have probably seen each letter. Choose from the list at the bottom.
letter
its name
says
where you have seen it
1.
delta
d
2.
sigma
s
3.
mu
m
4.
omega
o
5.
lambda
l
6.
theta
th
7.
alpha
a
8.
beta
b
9.
gamma
g
Choose from: a millionth — a microgram, a micrometre  ·  add all of these up  ·  ohms, printed on a resistor  ·  the change in something, in math and science  ·  the first kind of radiation  ·  the second kind  ·  the third kind  ·  the unknown angle in a triangle  ·  the wavelength of a wave

What That Means

Greek · Page 3 of 3

DIRECTIONS: Answer in your own words.
  1. You have been reading Greek letters for years. Why did nobody tell you that is what they were?
  2. The three kinds of radiation are called alpha, beta and gamma. Those are the first three letters of the alphabet. What does that tell you about how they were named?
  3. Omega is the last letter. Somebody chose it for the unit of electrical resistance. Guess why, then say whether your guess can be checked.
  4. Write down one other symbol you have met in math or science that you have never known the name of. It does not have to be Greek.