Writing numerals in the U.S. How do *you* do it?

[KingNothing]

From wikipedia (where else) in: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_handwriting_variation

"The numeral 2 — In Germany and Austria a "curly" version used to be taught and is still used by many in handwriting. The 2 can be confused with a capital script Q, or a letter Z."

Are you from Germany or Austria?

No. How does "2" get confused with "Q"? I write them just like your computer probably displays them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_(number)#Evolution_of_the_glyph

 

[Mororvia]

I used to loop my 2's until I got into classes with partial derivatives.

 

[lisab]

I'm a chronic LaTeX-er.

That's a *lot* better than being a late chronic-er.

 

[Geezer]

No. How does "2" get confused with "Q"? I write them just like your computer probably displays them.

http://kolahun.typepad.com/kolahun/images/2008/04/28/cursive_q.gif" 's the cursive Q I was taught.

 

[lisab]

http://kolahun.typepad.com/kolahun/images/2008/04/28/cursive_q.gif" 's the cursive Q I was taught.

Me too...but seriously, when was the last time you met one in the wild?

I don't think I could write one without peeking, if I hadn't looked at your link !

 

[KingNothing]

http://kolahun.typepad.com/kolahun/images/2008/04/28/cursive_q.gif" 's the cursive Q I was taught.

Wow, cursive sucks! It had its place in the days before printing and typing, its going the way of the dodo now.

But why would someone rather have ambiguity with capital Z than cursive uppercase Q? The tradeoff does not make sense. I urge all of you to see the light.

Wait - are you guys talking about the loops themselves, as in the enclosures that totally encompass some area?

 

[Dembadon]

Here are mine:

 

[Geezer]

Here are mine:

Yeah, that's pretty much how I write, too.

 

[Borek]

Here are mine:

Strange, I can read them, but I always write at different angle - about 90 deg CCW.

 

[BobG]

0 - with a slash if in mixed company, naked otherwise
1 - vertical line
2 - with a loop
4 - open boxed
7 - crossed
8 - single continuous movement
9 - straight tail
z - crossed when used as a variable
l - more an italicized 'l' than a cursive 'l'; no loop, but with a tail to the right


In fact, Jimmy just mentioning that he uses double circles for 8's made me cringe. As irrational as it may be, watching someone do double circles (or double eyeballs) for 8's just drives me up a wall. I think that in a past life, my lover must have sucked my eyeballs out and nailed them to the front of her house as part of her address.

Twos never have a loop in them (I was taught this by my algebra instructor years ago, so as to distinguish 2 from the cursive Q...you know, way back when when you had to write in cursive...). To distinguish my 2 from a Z, I always cross my Z.

I just have a hard time imagining how context could ever result in confusing a 2 with a cursive Q, even back in the days when cursive writing was common. Are there any words that begin with qq?

 

[lisab]

0 - with a slash if in mixed company, naked otherwise
1 - vertical line
2 - with a loop
4 - open boxed
7 - crossed
8 - single continuous movement
9 - straight tail
z - crossed when used as a variable
l - more an italicized 'l' than a cursive 'l'; no loop, but with a tail to the right


In fact, Jimmy just mentioning that he uses double circles for 8's made me cringe. As irrational as it may be, watching someone do double circles (or double eyeballs) for 8's just drives me up a wall. I think that in a past life, my lover must have sucked my eyeballs out and nailed them to the front of her house as part of her address.



I just have a hard time imagining how context could ever result in confusing a 2 with a cursive Q, even back in the days when cursive writing was common. Are there any words that begin with qq?

2uite right!

 

[Dembadon]

[...] Are there any words that begin with qq?

None of which I'm aware, however:

QQ =

 

[I like Serena]

http://kolahun.typepad.com/kolahun/images/2008/04/28/cursive_q.gif" 's the cursive Q I was taught.

Me too...but seriously, when was the last time you met one in the wild?

I don't think I could write one without peeking, if I hadn't looked at your link !

Well, this wild cursive Q of yours, it could either be a capital Q, or a lower case q - which is it? It can't be a 2, because it has a loop in it.

 

[I like Serena]

2uite right!

 

[BobG]

Wow, cursive sucks! It had its place in the days before printing and typing, its going the way of the dodo now.

But why would someone rather have ambiguity with capital Z than cursive uppercase Q? The tradeoff does not make sense. I urge all of you to see the light.

Wait - are you guys talking about the loops themselves, as in the enclosures that totally encompass some area?

The ambiguity would be between a 3 and an upper case cursive Z; or a 2 and an upper case cursive Q. And probably only on unlined paper in the case of a 3 and a Z, as the bottom of the Z goes below the line while the entire 3 is above the line. (A person would have to be including some unnecessary flourishes on their 3's in order for the ambiguity to occur in the first place.)

 

[DaveC426913]

with a slash if in mixed company, naked otherwise

Words to live by.

 

[Insanity]

1 - written as a single line, or like |
2 - no loops
3 - curves, not a straight edge along the top
4 - open, not closed
5 - sometimes looks like 3s, as I start the top line on the left, then go back to the right to make the bottom of it.
7 - never crossed, was taught it might be mistaken for a closed 4.
8 - two circles, not drawn with one line.
0 - lined if writing serial number or such that include 0 and O.

 

[BobG]

None of which I'm aware, however:

QQ =

When texting or in a chat room, perhaps, but inserting double cursive capital 'Q's into a letter written with your favorite fountain pen probably won't get the same message across (and fountain pens should always be used to write in cursive, as any stituation requiring less than a fountain pen should just be handled with an email or a printed post-it note).

Besides, I thought cry was :'(

QQ must be 'rolling on the floor crying my freaking eyes out'

 

[Dembadon]

When texting or in a chat room, perhaps, but inserting double cursive capital 'Q's into a letter written with your favorite fountain pen probably won't get the same message across (and fountain pens should always be used to write in cursive, as any stituation requiring les than a fountain pen should just be handled with an email or a printed post-it note).

Besides, I thought cry was :'(

I've only just found out what it meant. My younger sister sent me a text, and I had to ask her. I had always used the symbols you mention above.

QQ must be 'rolling on the floor crying my freaking eyes out'

Or, ROTFCMFEO.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

I also write my 8's in one continuous motion, and it drives me nuts when people write two circles. Especially because those two circles can become separated and accidentally look like a colon (which some people also write as two circles, because they find two dots hard to see).

Here's another one:

t. In math, I write 't' by making the crossbar first, and then making a single vertical line that curls to the right, just like in this font. I know it breaks all the rules to make the crossbar first, but I find that any other method is likely to make my 't' look like a '+', star, or ampersand (I write my ampersand as a cursive '+', except in contexts where that could be confusing, and then I write it like '&').