Beta

Beta (uppercase Β, lowercase β) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 2. In Ancient Greek it represented the voiced bilabial plosive, while in Modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental fricative. Letters that arose from beta include the Roman letter B and the Cyrillic letters Б and В. The name beta derives from the acrophonic name of the corresponding letter in Phoenician, from the common Semitic word for 'house'. The letter was derived from the Phoenician letter beth. Beta is also used in finance as a measure of investment portfolio risk, in the International Phonetic Alphabet to denote a voiced bilabial fricative, and in mathematics and science as a variable with various specific meanings. In rock climbing terminology, 'beta' refers to advice on completing a route or problem. 'Beta' can also refer to several videotape formats developed by Japan's Sony Corporation, including Betamax and Betacam.

The letter beta was derived from the Phoenician letter beth. The letter Β had the largest number of highly divergent local forms, including forms from Gortyn, Thera, Argos, Melos, Corinth, Megara, Byzantium, and the Cyclades. The name of beta comes from the acrophonic name of the corresponding letter in Phoenician, which was the common Semitic word *bayt ('house'). In Greek, the name was βῆτα bêta, pronounced [bɛ̂ːta] in Ancient Greek; it is spelled βήτα in modern monotonic orthography and pronounced [ˈvita].

1. 1Betaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2BETA Becomes First Company to Secure Landmark FAA Authorization to Conduct Flight Operations with Prospective Customers in Electric VTOL Aircraft - Yahoo Financenews.google.com
3. 3Electric air taxis get the green light for test flights in Texastheverge.com