5 ms·

Nobody writes asterisks like that in handwriting - is that to help the ocr? We just use an × for multiplication, really.

nemetroid 5y ago
Are you sure about "nobody"? As a corollary, I've only ever used × to indicate the cross product of two vectors. For scalar multiplication, ⋅ is the standard symbol in my country (and many others).
- kzrdude 5y ago
  I guess I'm being called out for not handwriting a lot myself anymore either. Yes, I'd use the centered dot too. Anyway, the point is that the asterisk is not what we use in handwriting.
ajuc 5y ago
Depends on the country. In Poland it's usually nothing for multiplication: (x+3)(10-y) then dot, then asterisk. Nobody writes "x" for scalar multiplication cause it's easy to mistake it for the variable x. What do you mean by 2xy? 2 * y or 2 * x * y? Another cultural difference is how 7 and 1 is written - in USA you write 7 with 2 strokes and 1 with 1 stroke. In my country 7 is always crossed (always has 3 strokes) and 1 has 2 strokes. And variable z is usually crossed in equations to distinguish it from 2 (but that varies regionally).
- fratajcz 5y ago
  In this case, most people will write the variable x with curved ends (𝑥) and the operator with straight ends.
- leephillips 5y ago
  That was how I learned to notate multiplication in high school or earlier. It’s how it’s done in all the mathematical literature or textbooks I’ve ever seen. And people only started using * when they started programming computers.
  - ajuc 5y ago
    You might be surprised then that we don't even use . as a decimal point :)
augustk 5y ago
At least in some European countries we use a dot instead (which doesn't look like a variable named "x"). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_operator#Notation_and_terminology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_operator#Notation_and_term...
dariosalvi78 5y ago
Actually using asterisks for multiplications is something you do on computers not when writing on paper, or at least this is how I was taught at school and university
mlajtos 5y ago
I write asterisk like that. :) But middle dot "·" works as well. Problem with "×" is that it is basically letter "x". This ambiguity applies to more characters, just a simple example – a lot of Americans write "1", "l", "I", "|" as one symbol. This is fine when you have context, e.g. a phone number, but programming language is a mixed bag where context isn't much of a help.
- zozbot234 5y ago
  You don't write letter x in handwriting. You always write cursive/italic x that cleanly solves the ambiguity with × sign. Similarly, "l" is handwritten and | is "broken" in the center.
  - mlajtos 5y ago
    Even though I am not German, I am aiming for Grundschrift [0] with letters and numbers since it is a close match for how I am writing. The broken pipe makes sense though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundschrift https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundschrift
  - tsimionescu 5y ago
    In my handwriting, I always write x as the typed letter. The cursive variant feels very awkward for me. In my country, after primary school, we always use a dot for multiplication (or,in maths with single-letter identifiers, no symbol at all - a multiplied by b is 'ab').
leephillips 5y ago
We don’t use any operator, since the parentheses are there. If we’re feeling nervous, maybe a centered dot.

nemetroid 5y ago

Are you sure about "nobody"? As a corollary, I've only ever used × to indicate the cross product of two vectors. For scalar multiplication, ⋅ is the standard symbol in my country (and many others).

kzrdude 5y ago
I guess I'm being called out for not handwriting a lot myself anymore either. Yes, I'd use the centered dot too. Anyway, the point is that the asterisk is not what we use in handwriting.

ajuc 5y ago

Depends on the country. In Poland it's usually nothing for multiplication: (x+3)(10-y) then dot, then asterisk. Nobody writes "x" for scalar multiplication cause it's easy to mistake it for the variable x. What do you mean by 2xy? 2 * y or 2 * x * y? Another cultural difference is how 7 and 1 is written - in USA you write 7 with 2 strokes and 1 with 1 stroke. In my country 7 is always crossed (always has 3 strokes) and 1 has 2 strokes. And variable z is usually crossed in equations to distinguish it from 2 (but that varies regionally).

fratajcz 5y ago
In this case, most people will write the variable x with curved ends (𝑥) and the operator with straight ends.
leephillips 5y ago
That was how I learned to notate multiplication in high school or earlier. It’s how it’s done in all the mathematical literature or textbooks I’ve ever seen. And people only started using * when they started programming computers.
- ajuc 5y ago
  You might be surprised then that we don't even use . as a decimal point :)

augustk 5y ago

At least in some European countries we use a dot instead (which doesn't look like a variable named "x"). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_operator#Notation_and_terminology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_operator#Notation_and_term...

dariosalvi78 5y ago

Actually using asterisks for multiplications is something you do on computers not when writing on paper, or at least this is how I was taught at school and university

mlajtos 5y ago

I write asterisk like that. :) But middle dot "·" works as well. Problem with "×" is that it is basically letter "x". This ambiguity applies to more characters, just a simple example – a lot of Americans write "1", "l", "I", "|" as one symbol. This is fine when you have context, e.g. a phone number, but programming language is a mixed bag where context isn't much of a help.

zozbot234 5y ago
You don't write letter x in handwriting. You always write cursive/italic x that cleanly solves the ambiguity with × sign. Similarly, "l" is handwritten and | is "broken" in the center.
- mlajtos 5y ago
  Even though I am not German, I am aiming for Grundschrift [0] with letters and numbers since it is a close match for how I am writing. The broken pipe makes sense though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundschrift https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundschrift
- tsimionescu 5y ago
  In my handwriting, I always write x as the typed letter. The cursive variant feels very awkward for me. In my country, after primary school, we always use a dot for multiplication (or,in maths with single-letter identifiers, no symbol at all - a multiplied by b is 'ab').

leephillips 5y ago

We don’t use any operator, since the parentheses are there. If we’re feeling nervous, maybe a centered dot.