varpi is a very old-school way of writing π (think 100 years ago), the modern letter is, of course, π. Also varsigma is the "final sigma" (ς), not the regular sigma (σ). vartheta also looks funky (θ normally).
Re:Rare Greek Variables
by dan-robertson on Sunday November 28, 2021 @09:29AM
(#29369147)
I tend to write vartheta on paper as it can be done in a single stroke. I don’t write a final sigma on paper.
I remember a lecturer who didn’t like saying or drawing xi and so called it squiggle and just scribbled about a bit on the blackboard. I think I also had a time when a lecturer used both phi and varphi for different things in one equation.
I also don’t understand why upsilon gets considered little-used but omicron doesn’t get that treatment. Maybe there isn’t even a \omicron in TeX.
I’m a little surprised that iota is so little-used.
Finally an anecdote from high school: my classmate once became very confused with a derivation on the board involving both k and K because he thought there was also a “middle k” being used as well as big k and little k.