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I always thought the * was used for multiplication to avoid confusing × with the English alphabet X. We can usually distinguish them while writing equations on
by manish_gill 14y ago
I always thought the * was used for multiplication to avoid confusing × with the English alphabet X. We can usually distinguish them while writing equations on paper(I write x in a cursive, for example).
- kps 14y ago* was used for multiplication because there weren't enough bits to fit every symbol everyone would have liked into ASCII, so compromises were made, including preference for symbols that could be 'overloaded' with multiple meanings in different contexts.
- simonh 14y agoAlso to avoid ambiguity. Since x is alphanumeric it's a valid variable name in most programming languages.