Science Symbols Guide — **Physics · Chemistry · Astronomy · Engineering · Measurement**

Scientific symbols help us express complex ideas in a compact, standardized way.

From the speed of light **c**, to chemical elements like **Na**, to astronomical symbols like **☉**, this guide covers the essential symbols every student, researcher, and science enthusiast should know.

⭐ Table of Contents

1. Physics Symbols

2. Chemistry Symbols

3. Astronomy & Planetary Symbols

4. Measurement & Units

5. Physical Constants

6. Electrical Engineering Symbols

7. Scientific Operators

8. Vectors, Diagrams & Notation

9. Greek Letters Used in Science

10. Copy–Paste Mega Table

11. Common Misunderstandings

12. Example Equations

13. Conclusion

1. ⚡ Physics Symbols

Core Physics Quantities

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **c** | Speed of light |

| **v** | Velocity |

| **a** | Acceleration |

| **F** | Force |

| **m** | Mass |

| **p** | Momentum |

| **E** | Energy |

| **W** | Work |

| **P** | Power |

| **ρ** | Density |

| **λ** | Wavelength |

| **ω** | Angular frequency |

| **τ** | Torque |

| **Δ** | Change / Difference |

| **μ** | Coefficient of friction |

Fields & Forces

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **g** | Gravity |

| **G** | Gravitational constant |

| **k** | Spring constant |

| **ε₀** | Permittivity of vacuum |

| **μ₀** | Permeability of vacuum |

2. ⚗️ Chemistry Symbols

Chemical Elements

Some of the most common element symbols:

| Symbol | Element |

|--------|---------|

| **H** | Hydrogen |

| **He** | Helium |

| **C** | Carbon |

| **N** | Nitrogen |

| **O** | Oxygen |

| **Na** | Sodium |

| **K** | Potassium |

| **Fe** | Iron |

| **Ag** | Silver |

| **Au** | Gold |

| **Pb** | Lead |

Chemical Notation

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **→** | Reaction arrow |

| **⇌** | Reversible reaction |

| **(s)** | Solid |

| **(l)** | Liquid |

| **(g)** | Gas |

| **(aq)** | Aqueous |

| **Δ** | Heat applied |

| **·** | Hydrate dot |

3. 🌌 Astronomy & Planetary Symbols

Planets

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **☿** | Mercury |

| **♀** | Venus |

| **⊕ / ♁** | Earth |

| **♂** | Mars |

| **♃** | Jupiter |

| **♄** | Saturn |

| **♅** | Uranus |

| **♆** | Neptune |

| **♇** | Pluto (historical) |

Astronomical Objects

| Symbol | Object |

|--------|--------|

| **☉** | Sun |

| **☾** | Moon |

| **★** | Star |

| **◎** | Galaxy / Center |

| **✦** | Bright star |

| **☄** | Comet |

4. 📏 Measurement & Units (SI)

| Symbol | Unit | Meaning |

|--------|------|---------|

| **m** | meter | distance |

| **kg** | kilogram | mass |

| **s** | second | time |

| **A** | ampere | electric current |

| **mol** | mole | amount of substance |

| **K** | kelvin | temperature |

| **cd** | candela | luminous intensity |

Derived Units

| Symbol | Unit |

|--------|------|

| **N** | Newton (force) |

| **J** | Joule (energy) |

| **W** | Watt (power) |

| **Pa** | Pascal (pressure) |

| **Hz** | Hertz (frequency) |

5. 🔢 Physical Constants

| Symbol | Constant |

|--------|----------|

| **c** | Speed of light (299,792,458 m/s) |

| **G** | Gravitational constant |

| **h** | Planck constant |

| **kₑ** | Coulomb constant |

| **R** | Gas constant |

| **NA** | Avogadro's number |

| **k** | Boltzmann constant |

6. ⚙ Electrical Engineering Symbols

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **I** | Current |

| **V** | Voltage |

| **R** | Resistance |

| **C** | Capacitance |

| **L** | Inductance |

| **Ω** | Ohm |

| **μF** | Microfarad |

| **A** | Ampere |

| **Vpp** | Peak-to-peak voltage |

Circuit diagram icons (ASCII style):

```

Resistor: ─///─

Capacitor: ─| |─

Diode: ─|▷─

Ground: ⏚

Battery: |‖

```

7. ➗ Scientific Operators

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **∑** | Summation |

| **∏** | Product |

| **∂** | Partial derivative |

| **∇** | Nabla / Gradient |

| **∞** | Infinity |

| **≈** | Approximately |

| **≡** | Identical |

| **≠** | Not equal |

| **≅** | Congruent |

| **∴** | Therefore |

| **∵** | Because |

8. 🔭 Vectors, Diagrams & Notation

Vector notation

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **→a** | Vector a |

| **|a|** | Magnitude |

| **𝑖, 𝑗, 𝑘** | Unit vectors |

Diagram symbols

| Symbol | Meaning |

|--------|---------|

| **→** | Force vector |

| **⟂** | Perpendicular |

| **∥** | Parallel |

| **○** | Node |

| **●** | Filled node |

9. 🇬 Greek Letters in Science

| Letter | Fields |

|--------|--------|

| **α** | Alpha — angles, decay constant |

| **β** | Beta — coefficients, particles |

| **γ** | Gamma — photons, stress |

| **δ** | Delta — change, error |

| **ε** | Epsilon — strain, permittivity |

| **θ** | Theta — angles |

| **λ** | Lambda — wavelength |

| **μ** | Mu — friction, micro- prefix |

| **σ** | Sigma — stress, standard deviation |

| **ω** | Omega — angular frequency |

10. 📋 Copy–Paste Mega Table

| Symbol | Description |

|--------|-------------|

| c | Speed of light |

| G | Gravitational constant |

| → | Arrow / vector |

| ∂ | Partial derivative |

| ∑ | Summation |

| ∞ | Infinity |

| ≈ | Approx. equal |

| ∴ | Therefore |

| ☉ | Sun |

| ☾ | Moon |

| Ω | Ohm |

| μ | Micro / coefficient |

11. ⚠ Common Misunderstandings

| Wrong | Correct | Explanation |

|-------|---------|-------------|

| **m/s²** = speed | It's acceleration | Units matter |

| **kg** = weight | It's mass | Weight is Newtons |

| **≈** = equals | It means "approx" | Not exact |

| **♁** = Moon | No — it's Earth | Moon is ☾ |

12. 🧪 Example Equations

Einstein's equation:

```

E = mc²

```

Ideal gas law:

```

PV = nRT

```

Wave speed:

```

v = fλ

```

13. ✅ Conclusion

Scientific symbols create a universal language across physics, chemistry, astronomy, and engineering.

This guide provides a comprehensive reference for students, professionals, and anyone curious about the way science encodes meaning.

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Related Symbol Guides

* [**Math Symbols Guide**](/blog/comprehensive-math-symbols-guide) - Mathematical notation.

* [**Logic Symbols**](/blog/logic-symbols) - Boolean algebra.

* [**Weather Symbols**](/blog/weather-symbols) - Meteorological icons.