TeXipedia

lambda

Represents a wavelength in physics or an anonymous function in computer science and mathematics.

Overview

A versatile symbol with significant importance across multiple scientific and mathematical domains.

  • Commonly used in physics to denote wavelength in electromagnetic radiation and wave mechanics.
  • Essential in functional programming and lambda calculus to represent anonymous functions or abstractions.
  • Appears frequently in probability theory to denote the rate parameter in Poisson distributions.
  • Used in linear algebra for eigenvalues and in quantum mechanics for decay constants.
  • Serves as a parameter in various mathematical models and statistical distributions.

Examples

Defining a wavelength in physics equations.

λ=cf\lambda = \frac{c}{f}
\lambda = \frac{c}{f}

Representing the decay constant in exponential decay.

N(t)=N0eλtN(t) = N_0e^{-\lambda t}
N(t) = N_0e^{-\lambda t}

Using lambda as a parameter in eigenvalue equations.

Av=λvAv = \lambda v
Av = \lambda v