sigma
noun
sig·ma
| \ ˈsig-mə
\
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Definition of sigma
1
: the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet — see Alphabet Table
Examples of sigma in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Historically, most industrial companies operate between three and four sigma, making them between 93% and 99.3% defect-free (these figures can vary slightly depending on the statistical model). — Oliver Staley, Quartz at Work, "Whatever happened to Six Sigma?," 3 Sep. 2019 The gold standard for discovery is a five-sigma result, comparable to tossing 21 heads in a row. — Jennifer Ouellette, Quanta Magazine, "In the Hunt for Dark Matter, Promises to Keep?," 18 July 2013 Through regular reports released under the name sigma, the company offers a lens into the changing trends of the insurance world. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Global Warming Is Already Costing the Insurance Industry Historic Amounts," 17 Apr. 2019 Typically, only five sigma is needed to call something a discovery. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Visitor from another solar system accelerated away from the Sun," 28 June 2018 Physicists and astronomers, however, aren't usually convinced that two phenomena are connected until there's no more than a one in 3.5 million, or 5 sigma, probability of a coincidence. — Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, "Ghostly particle caught in polar ice ushers in new way to look at the universe," 12 July 2018 Physics requires a statistical significance of five sigma to declare discovery; MiniBooNE is tantalizingly close and will probably be there within the next two years. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Weird neutrino excess won’t go away, hints at new physics," 8 June 2018 The MiniBooNE result had a standard deviation measured at 4.8 sigma, just shy of the 5.0 threshold physicists look for. — NBC News, "A major physics experiment just detected a particle that shouldn't exist," 3 June 2018 Mattie was committed to serving her community and demonstrated this through her membership in Broward Alumnae Chapter, Delta sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Fort Lauderdale Chapter, The Links, Inc. — Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 4/27," 27 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sigma.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sigma
sigma
noun
English Language Learners Definition of sigma
: the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet
See the full definition for sigma in the English Language Learners Dictionary