What Letter is the Circled One? - Bob

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying a circled letter that participants believe may represent a specific symbol in physics, particularly in the context of electrodynamics. The inquiry includes considerations of different types of scripts and their relevance to the symbol's appearance.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Bob initially suggests the circled letter might be “tau” (τ) or “gamma” (γ), but finds them not to match exactly.
  • Some participants propose that the symbol's meaning could help identify it, with a suggestion that it may correspond to the expression \left|\vec{r}-\vec{r'}\right|.
  • One participant asserts that the letter resembles “eta.”
  • Another participant confirms that the symbol represents the radius from a point electric source, referencing a specific textbook.
  • Bob proposes that it could be “r,” linking to a typeface example from Wikipedia.
  • Borek agrees with Bob's suggestion that the letter looks like “r.”
  • Bob expresses curiosity about Borek's familiarity with the typeface used.
  • Borek clarifies that their knowledge was about the letter itself rather than the typeface, providing a link to a relevant script.
  • Another participant mentions a formula that uses “R” to avoid confusion with “r.”
  • A participant comments on the origins of the script styles, suggesting that the “curly” r may have roots in cursive writing.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying opinions on the identity of the circled letter, with no consensus reached on its exact representation. Multiple competing views remain regarding both the letter and its script style.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the symbol's context and its representation in different scripts are not fully explored, and the discussion includes references to specific pages in textbooks and external links that may not be universally accessible.

bobfei
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Hi,

attachment.php?attachmentid=43402&stc=1&d=1328189744.png

Could anyone tell me what letter the circled one is? I thought it might be “tau” τ or “gamma” γ, but none of the two looked exactly the same as it.

Bob
 

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I'm not sure, though it might help to know what the symbol is meant to represent... does it correspond to [itex]\left|\vec{r}-\vec{r'}\right|[/itex]?
 
Looks like eta
 
Nytik,

Yes, exactly:
This symbol represent radius from a point electric source, and is found on page 235 of Griffiths, David J. - Introduction to Electrodynamics (3ed).

Dadface,
Looks alike, but I am not sure.

Bob
 
Borek,

It looks very close. I would agree with it.

Bob
 
That r looks like a perfect match! Now I'm wondering how Borek knew that typeface so well...
 
Nytik said:
That r looks like a perfect match! Now I'm wondering how Borek knew that typeface so well...

I didn't knew typeface, I knew the letter. That was just the best link with this kind of r I could find in a few minutes.
 
  • #10
Borek said:
I didn't knew typeface, I knew the letter. That was just the best link with this kind of r I could find in a few minutes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperplate_script

That's the original style from which most "curly" scripts originated from.
 
  • #11
rollcast said:
That's the original style from which most "curly" scripts originated from.

I bet this kind of r is earlier than that and came from the cursive.
 

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