Gamma (Upper) in LaTeX (\Gamma)

Where it is used

Uppercase Greek Gamma, best known as the gamma function Γ(z) that extends the factorial.

\Gamma(n) = (n-1)! for positive integers, and \Gamma(z) = \int_0^\infty t^{z-1}e^{-t}\,dt in general. It also writes Christoffel symbols \Gamma^k_{ij} in differential geometry, the Gamma distribution, and a typing context \Gamma \vdash e : \tau in type theory. Capital Greek letters are upright by default in LaTeX; for an italic version use \varGamma. Graph theorists sometimes use \Gamma(v) for the neighborhood of a vertex. Do not confuse it with the Latin letter L rotated or with \gamma, the lowercase constant.

Minimal compilable example

Paste this into an empty .tex file and compile it with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Gamma (Upper): $\Gamma$

\[ \Gamma(z) = \int_{0}^{\infty} t^{z-1} e^{-t}\,dt \]
\end{document}

Related symbols

• Delta\delta
• Gamma\gamma
• Delta (Upper)\Delta
• Beta\beta
• Epsilon\epsilon
• Alpha\alpha

Frequently asked questions

How do I write Gamma (Upper) in LaTeX?

Type \Gamma in math mode, for example $\Gamma(z) = \int_{0}^{\infty} t^{z-1} e^{-t}\,dt$. It works in plain LaTeX without loading any package.

Which package do I need for \Gamma?

None. \Gamma is part of standard LaTeX, so it compiles with nothing in the preamble but the document class.

Can I use \Gamma in text mode, or only in math mode?

Only in math mode. Outside $...$ LaTeX stops with "Missing $ inserted", so write $\Gamma$ in running text. If you only need the glyph in text, paste the Unicode character Γ instead (with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX and a font that has it).