What is the symbol for an alpha particle?

The symbol for an alpha particle is the Greek letter α, called ‘alpha’.

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This letter looks like the English letter a, but they are slightly different. See the comparison below.

α a

The three most common types of radiation – alpha radiation, beta radiation, and gamma radiation – are named after the first three letters of the Greek alphabet: α, β, γ (‘alpha’, ‘beta’, and ‘gamma’).