∂

The character ∂ (Unicode: U+2202) is a stylized cursive '' d'' mainly used as a mathematical symbol, usually to denote a partial derivative such as $/$ (read as "the partial derivative of ''z'' with respect to ''x''"). It is also used for the boundary operator in a chain complex, and the conjugate of the Dolbeault operator on smooth differential forms over a complex manifold. It should be distinguished from other similar-looking symbols such as lowercase Greek letter delta (𝛿) or the lowercase Latin letter eth (ð).

History

The symbol was originally introduced in 1770 by Nicolas de Condorcet, who used it for a partial differential, and adopted for the partial derivative by Adrien-Marie Legendre in 1786.
It represents a specialized cursive type of the letter ''d'', just as the integral sign originates as a specialized type of a long s (first used in print by Leibniz in 1686).
Use of the symbol was discontinued by Legendre, but it was taken up again by Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi in 1841, whose usage became widely adopted.
"The 'curly d' was used in 1770 by Antoine-Nicolas Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet (1743-1794) in 'Memoire sur les Equations aux différence partielles,' which was published in Histoire de L'Academie Royale des Sciences, pp. 151-178, Annee M. DCCLXXIII (1773). On
page 152
Condorcet says:
:''Dans toute la suite de ce Memoire, dz & ∂z désigneront ou deux differences partielles de z, dont une par rapport a x, l'autre par rapport a y, ou bien dz sera une différentielle totale, & ∂z une difference partielle.''
However, the 'curly d' was first used in the form ∂u/∂x by Adrien Marie Legendre in 1786 in his 'Memoire sur la manière de distinguer les maxima des minima dans le Calcul des Variations,' Histoire de l'Academie Royale des Sciences, Annee M. DCCLXXXVI (1786), pp. 7-37, Paris, M. DCCXXXVIII (1788). O
footnote of page 8
it reads:
:''Pour éviter toute ambiguité, je représenterai par ∂u/∂x le coefficient de x dans la différence de u, & par du/dx la différence complète de u divisée par dx.''
Legendre abandoned the symbol and it was re-introduced by Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi in 1841. Jacobi used it extensively in his remarkable paper 'De determinantibus Functionalibus" Crelle’s Journal, Band 22, pp. 319-352, 1841 (pp. 393-438 of vol. 1 of the Collected Works).
:''Sed quia uncorum accumulatio et legenti et scribenti molestior fieri solet, praetuli characteristica d differentialia vulgaria, differentialia autem partialia characteristica ∂ denotare. ''
The 'curly d' symbol is sometimes called the 'rounded d' or 'curved d' or Jacobi’s delta. It corresponds to the cursive 'dey' (equivalent to our d) in the Cyrillic alphabet."

Names and coding

The symbol is variously referred to as
"curly d", "rounded d", "curved d", "dabba", or "Jacobi's delta", or as "del" (but this name is also used for the "nabla" symbol ∇).
It may also be pronounced simply "dee", "partial dee", "doh", or "die".

The Unicode character is accessed by HTML entities ∂ or ∂, and the equivalent LaTeX symbol (Computer Modern glyph: $\partial$) is accessed by \partial.

Uses

∂ is also used to denote the following:
* The Jacobian $\frac$.
* The boundary of a set in topology.
* The boundary operator on a chain complex in homological algebra.
* The boundary operator of a differential graded algebra.
* The conjugate of the Dolbeault operator on complex differential forms.
* The boundary ''∂(S)'' of a set of vertices ''S'' in a graph is the set of edges leaving ''S'', which defines a cut.

See also

* d'Alembert operator
* Differentiable programming
*
* List of mathematical symbols
* Notation for differentiation
* 𝒹 (Unicode )
* ꝺ (lowercase ''d'' in Insular script)
* '' δ'' (lowercase Greek Delta)
* '' д'' (lowercase Cyrillic De, looks similar when italicized in some typefaces)

References

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Mathematical terminology
Mathematical symbols