The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet (Ε, ε), used in mathematics and science to represent a small positive quantity.
From Greek 'epsilon,' literally meaning 'bare e' or 'simple e' to distinguish it from the diphthong 'ai' which was also pronounced like 'e.' Derived from the Phoenician letter 'he.'
In mathematics, epsilon represents the concept of 'arbitrarily small' - a number so tiny it's almost zero but not quite. This seemingly simple concept revolutionized calculus and analysis, allowing mathematicians to rigorously define limits and continuity for the first time.
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