What is lambda?

[ApathY]

What is lambda and what is its significance to Half-Life?

 

[jameth]

it's a scientific term. don't google it actually.

it's also the 11th greek letter

 

[ApathY]

Yes, but I heard it mentioned in Half-Life 1 and it almost sounded like it was some sort of team of scientists. What does it have to do with HL?

EDIT: Also, why would it have it's own spray and why would it be posted all over in HL2? Does it have something to do with the rebellion, or what?

 

[Joy_Decoy]

Lambda was the name of one of the research facilities at black mesa. I assume the lambda in HL2 signifies the resistance, referencing the original incident at Black mesa.

i think. shyte wording, sorry.

 

[hewhowearspants]

The Lambda Lab was where all the really high-tech crap and teleportation and whatnot was going on.

 

[CrazyHarij]

Well, obviously all the Black Mesa scientists and City-17 freedom fighters are homosexual.

 

[KagePrototype]

I think the only reason the resistance use the lambda symbol, is because that is what is on the front of the HEV suits.

 

[gcomeau]

What is lambda and what is its significance to Half-Life?

The lambda symbol is used to represent a decay constant which is used in calculating the half life of radioactive materials.

 

[Ultimape]

a(1 + e ^ bt) where t = lambda, e is eulers number, a and b are constants.

its a rising exponetial equation, negated = half life.

 

[DevgruSeal]

Yes, but I heard it mentioned in Half-Life 1 and it almost sounded like it was some sort of team of scientists. What does it have to do with HL?

EDIT: Also, why would it have it's own spray and why would it be posted all over in HL2? Does it have something to do with the rebellion, or what?

VALVe chose to use the Lambda because it is used in nuclear physics. Because you have to climb into a cooling reactor, and shut off the cooling reactor and what not, its pretty obvious why they used the Lambda.

The Lambda is also used by the homosexual folk. Here is my thread on this topic.

Also, the resistance uses the lambda probably because they want Liberation.

Well, obviously all the Black Mesa scientists and City-17 freedom fighters are homosexual.

Just because somebody uses the Lambda (The greek letter for L) doesn't mean they are necessarily homosexual. They simply took the Lambda to mean L for Liberation. It has a lot to do with the 1970s acts and what not. Please view my thread for further information on that, though...(Stated above)

 

[gcomeau]

a(1 + e ^ bt) where t = lambda, e is eulers number, a and b are constants.

its a rising exponetial equation, negated = half life.

FYI, you can display a "λ" by typing: "& # 9 5 5 ;" without all the spaces in between.

Just in case you should ever actually find that handy.

 

[moggy]

Well, obviously all the Black Mesa scientists and City-17 freedom fighters are homosexual.

don't be riddiculous.

it is like the other guy said, a scientiic symbol, which is used to represent radioactive decay or half-life, of radioactive materials.

it is used in game as was in the original half-life because in the original, it was basically what part of the black meas base was called as its name, the lambda facility, it where they did the large scal teleportation and also housed the nuclear reactors in black mesa. if u played the (more impressive and interesting) original game u should know this roughly.

it is where gordon freeman ends up in black mesa just before he teleports to xen and kills a big alien. It is the symbol the resistance use as to symbolise thier hopeful liberation by freeman and the minds of the original lambda facility. the scientists do also have the symbol on the hev suit which gordon wears of course, maybe they use it to symbolise him as thier messiah who will rescue earth from the alien controlled combine.


"λ"

 

[m00b]

Well lambda is used in several ways
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci803019,00.html
but mostly as a wavelength:
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci213339,00.html
That meas that its used to calculate frequency and if that frequency is in some span it indicates radioactivity. Or if an electromagnetic signal has a certain wavelength then its radioactive like gamma radiation.
So when your suit tells you that there's some radioactive danger that's the geiger counter in the suit measuring lambda and warning you.

 

[Barefoot]

it also resembles the chinese character for man or person coincidently

 

[weyl]

In the context of nuclear decay, lambda is the symbol for the halflife of some material, which is the time it takes for half the substance to decay.

 

[Ownzed]

It also looks like a H and an L combine to = Half-Life. Well, IMO.

 

[Stinky Pudding]

It was

the fraternity that the nerds belonged to...they were tri-lambs.

 

[Dan]

The Spartan's also put lambda on their shields, but they were gay too.

 

[Shady Milkman]

lambda isnt used for half-life


its used for waves

 

[jimmyjam]

just had to comment about that thread where lambda-as-gay-symbol is discussed
I like how people confuse homosexual liberation with homosexuality

 

[Mr Stabby]

lamda is just like X it can be used in any equation. As has been pointed out before it is the standard symbol for wave langth and the half-life of an atom