How do physicists/mathematicians verbalize these symbols?

  • Thread starter Thread starter lightlightsup
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Symbols
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
3 replies · 1K views
lightlightsup
Messages
100
Reaction score
11
Homework Statement
##\hat{r}_{\perp}## and ##\hat{r}_{\parallel}##: How do "practicing" physicists and mathematicians verbalize these symbols? If they ever do?
Do I say r-hat-perpendicular and r-hat-parallel?
Relevant Equations
Speak these in the common tongue: ##\hat{r}_{\perp}## and ##\hat{r}_{\parallel}##.
##\hat{r}_{\perp}## and ##\hat{r}_{\parallel}##
How do "practicing" physicists and mathematicians verbalize these symbols? If they ever do?
Do I say r-hat-perpendicular and r-hat-parallel?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
As a systems programmer-engineer-architect, I've at times had to speak in mathematical terms. Rather than 'hat', I would say 'circumflex' for a diacritical above an 'a', or I'd say 'cirumflected a'. The following reference, by Larry Chang, of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, gives both: E Book Handbook for Spoken Mathematics
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: PeroK and lightlightsup
Whoa. Thanks for the book! It says a-hat and a-circumflex in there.
 
lightlightsup said:
Homework Statement:: ##\hat{r}_{\perp}## and ##\hat{r}_{\parallel}##: How do "practicing" physicists and mathematicians verbalize these symbols? If they ever do?
Do I say r-hat-perpendicular and r-hat-parallel?
Homework Equations:: Speak these in the common tongue: ##\hat{r}_{\perp}## and ##\hat{r}_{\parallel}##.

##\hat{r}_{\perp}## and ##\hat{r}_{\parallel}##
How do "practicing" physicists and mathematicians verbalize these symbols? If they ever do?
Do I say r-hat-perpendicular and r-hat-parallel?

r-perp and r-parallel. But really, if you define at the beginning what each symbol means and how you call it, you can pronounce it any way you want.

Zz.