The delta sign and its meaning. The sign of the delta in the "Word"

Quite often it is necessary to enter the delta sign in the process of recruiting various documents. It is its value, as well as the methods of input in various applications running an OS such as Windows, and will be discussed in this article.

Where did he come from?

The very sign of the delta came to us from the Greek language. This is one of the letters of his alphabet. To date, scientists believe that it served as the progenitor of the Latin letter D, which is present in most of the alphabets of European countries and not only. In our language, its analogue is "D". The large symbol of this letter is an isosceles triangle, in which the smallest side (that is, "Δ") is located at the bottom. In turn, the capital letter is a small circle with a characteristic upper tail (it looks like this: "δ"). A little later these symbols began to be actively used in various spheres of human life, among which one can distinguish mathematics and geography.

Geography

This concept is widely used in geography. Here, by this term, the region of the confluence of the river into the sea or the ocean is hidden. From above it looks like a triangle. That is, the analogy here is obvious, and such a definition in this case is more than justified. The most striking examples are the Nile River (it flows into the Mediterranean Sea in the northern part of the African continent) or the Amazon (it flows into the Atlantic Ocean and is located in South America). From a bird's eye view, the places at the junction of land and water of these two great rivers really look like the Greek letter Δ.

Mathematics

Significantly more and more is used the delta sign in mathematics. Here it can denote the following:

• Increment of arguments. That is, behind this concept lies the value to which the variable has changed. For example, 2 + 3 = 5. In this case, 2 is increased by 3. This is Δ.
• Another case in which this letter of the Greek alphabet is used is the Laplace operator.
• The last variant, in which Δ is used, is the designation of the determinant of the matrix.

This is all true for a capital letter. But with a capital symbol, the situation is similar. It can mean the following:

• In the designation of the derivative: δy / δx (similarly, the derivative looks like in physics, astronomy and cosmogony).
• In describing the delta function, which can be equal to infinity with the argument zero and zero for all its other values.
• With its help we denote the Kronecker symbol - δ _ij . It is equal to one if the indices are equal and zero in all other cases.

In general, it is not so rare in modern mathematics to find this symbol.

Physics

Another sphere where this Greek letter is universally used is physics. Most of the values of this science are related to each other in the form of integrals and derivatives. For example, the speed is the ratio of δS to δt, that is, the distance traveled to the time for which it is overcome. In turn, the second-order derivative of the velocity in time will be the acceleration. This is just one example, which shows how important this Greek letter is for modern physics.

Astronomy and cosmogony

Greek δ has not less importance for these sciences. Here again, many quantities are interrelated by means of integrals and derivatives. It is the latter concept and is denoted by the capital letter delta.

We enter in the "Word"

The easiest way to insert a delta sign into the text of the document is in the "Word" - we'll start with it. In the first case, in the open window of this application, go to the "Insert" tab of the main menu. Then we find the item with the inscription "Symbols". In it we open the drop-down list "Symbol" (next to it is the letter "omega", it looks like a horseshoe). In it we select the item "Other symbols" (located at the very bottom of this list). Then, by moving through the table of all available characters for input, find the desired one from them and paste it into the application workspace. Then close the previously opened window.

The second option in the word processor "Word" is based on the use of the formula editor. The order of the set is identical in this case. The only difference is that in the paragraph "Symbols" we choose not the drop-down list "Symbol", but the list "Formula". Then choose the item "New formula". Then, in the main menu, the "Designer" panel appears. In its section we find the subsection "Symbols". Then, moving along it, we find Δ (for the capital letter) or δ (in case of capital). Then use the "Tab" key or the mouse pointer to press the button with the inscription "Paste". Next, close the insertion window. In the working area of the word processor, the symbol we need appears.

Any application

You can type the delta sign on the keyboard. To do this, you need to use ASKI - the code of this symbol, which is 916. This method is universal and works in all applications running the Windows operating system. The order of the set in this case is as follows:

• We switch the input language to English.
• We translate the extended keyboard from the navigation mode to the mode of entering numbers. To do this, we press the button "Nam Luk" until its LED does not light up.
• We move the cursor to the area of the application where you want to type Δ using the manipulator.
• Clamp "Alt" on the left side of the keyboard.
• The next step is to enter a sequence of numbers corresponding to the delta symbol. The code of the sign is 916, as was noted earlier. Therefore, we type 9 immediately, then 1 and at the end of 6.
• Let's release the previously held "Alt" key. After that, in the working area of our application, the required symbol should appear.

By the way, you can code the delta sign in the "Word" Find out if you do not know or have forgotten. To do this, it is enough to go into the symbol insertion window, find Δ in it, select it, according to the previously mentioned technique. At the bottom of the field "Code of the sign" and the information we are interested in will be indicated. And so you can find this parameter for any character. The same input method can also be used when typing a capital letter. The only difference is that it has the code 948. That is, instead of 916, you need to apply this order of numbers. The downside of this method is that it is necessary to remember ASKI codes. If the numbers in it are from one to three, then you can still remember. And with more symbols, this method is no longer effective.

An alternative is the clipboard

Another way is to use the clipboard, in order to insert a "delta". A triangle sign should be found in any application (for example, on any Internet resource). Select it with the manipulator. Then the combination of keys "Ctrl" and "Insert" (we perform the copy operation) is used. We go to the application where you need to insert this symbol (you can use the combination "Alt" and "Tab" or the mouse pointer). Then we press "Shift" and "Insert" (we perform the insert operation). After this, the symbol Δ should appear to the right of the cursor. Similarly, you can insert a capital letter. The downside of this method is that you need the original sign. And not always there is an opportunity to find it. Therefore, you can do this only on computers that are connected to the global web. It is easy and simple to find the original symbol. In other cases, this method is not rational to use.

Symbol table: the best solution in any case

The word processor "Word" is not always installed on the computer. The computer may not be connected to the global web and there is simply no place to copy the delta sign. And ASKI code of this symbol is not remembered. How would a hopeless situation. But there is a solution. And very simple. It is enough to use such a standard utility as the "Symbol Table". To do this, perform the following manipulations:

• Open the "Start" menu by pressing the corresponding key or by clicking the right mouse button of the mouse type.
• In the opened list, select the "Programs" item.
• At the next stage, click on the label "Standard".
• Next, you need the "System" section.
• Here we find a utility with the inscription "Symbol table".
• In the list we find the letter we need (uppercase Δ or uppercase δ).
• Then right click on the "Select" button. After that the other button - "Copy" - should become active. We press it. Then the character we selected is placed on the clipboard.
• Next, go to the application in which you want to insert such a character and press the standard combination "Ctrl" and "V". Alternatively, you can use "Shift" and "Insert". Another way to insert is to use the Insert menu and the button of the same name.

Unlike all the previously mentioned methods, this one is universal and works in all programs running an operating system such as Windows.

Let's sum up: which method is better?

Very often in the process of recruiting formulas in mathematics, physics, astronomy and cosmogony, the delta sign is used, both capital and capital. Therefore it is important to introduce it in the electronic form of the document. The easiest way to insert the delta sign in the "Word" Using the "Insert" tab and the "Insert symbol" subpanel. But this is a special case, and it works only in this word processor. In other cases, it is most rational to use the "Symbol Table". In this case, there is no need to remember special three-digit ACKI codes or to search for the original letter, as in the case of the clipboard. Moreover, this utility is automatically installed on all PCs during the installation of the Windows operating system.