Symbols:Greek/Delta/Arbitrarily Small Change
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Arbitrarily Small Change
- $\delta x$
$\delta x$ is often used to mean an arbitrarily small change or difference in the value of the (real) variable $x$.
For example, for the definition of derivative:
- $\ds \dfrac {\d y} {\d x} = \lim_{\delta x \mathop \to 0} \dfrac {\delta y} {\delta x} = \lim_{x_2 - x_1 \mathop \to 0} \dfrac {y_2 - y_1} {x_2 - x_1} = \lim_{\text{change in } x \mathop \to 0} \dfrac {\text{change in } y} {\text{change in } x}$
The $\LaTeX$ code for \(\delta x\) is \delta x
.
Sources
- 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): Appendix $1$: Symbols and Conventions: Greek Alphabet
- 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): delta