To: altair
I havent seen this addressed anywhere: How long has the number 7 typically had a line through it to insure that it is read as a seven and not something else? I notice this in the BC application number. How far back does this practice go?
Good question. It goes a long ways back, well before OCR. I picked it up in the early 70s when I was first being taught computers. Its usage was typical in the computer books of that time, so I guess it goes back much farther than that.
Although I was raised in the midwest, I had a German math teacher in the '70s who literally would rap your knuckles with a ruler if he saw you making a 7 without a slash through it. So my impression is that it's a continental European thing.
The other memory I have of him was that he had a wandering glass eye. You never could tell if he was looking (or even speaking) to you or to some other kid across the room.
He and I never got along very well, but you know what? I love math to this day. So I guess the old psycho was good at his job.
To: RetroSexual
How long has the number 7 typically had a line through it to insure that it is read as a seven and not something else?
Like the way they write "1" like a "7".
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