From: Gerd Schumacher (Gerd-Schumacher@gmx.de)
Date: Tue Aug 19 2003 - 22:31:26 EDT
Jim Allan wrote:
> Jill Ramonsky posted on the minus sign:
>
> > Yeah, I know. But like I said, who uses this?
>
> Books are normally produced today using computer typesetting. Look in
> any mathematics text or any well printed book for minus signs. Hyphens
> and minus signs are distinct (except when showing computer programming
> in a non-spacing font). Hyphen and minus sign have always been different
> characters.
There are some more appeareances of the hypen, which depend on the
fontdesign:
1. Double horizontal stroke, fairly similar to the equal sign, but not the
same.
2. Slanted single stroke, for example in Renaissance printing.
3. Double slanted stroke, as well as always used in Fraktur (blackletters).
None of them can be used as a minus sign, and replacing them by a minus
sign would disturb many fonts' appeareance.
Gerd
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