Scale degree refers to the position of a note in a scale relative to the tonic, the note on which each octave begins. Scale degrees are identified in several ways, including by their ordinal numbers (first, second, third...), by their Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3...), by Roman numerals, by the solfege syllables (do, re, mi...) and by the English term for their function (tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant and subtonic or leading tone, and tonic again). These names are useful for studying harmony, including through indicating the sizes of intervals and chords and whether they are major, minor, etc.