Re: Shape of the US Dollar Sign

From: Séamas Ó Brógáin (leabhair@iol.ie)
Date: Wed Oct 03 2001 - 10:30:51 EDT


With regard to the origin of the dollar sign, according to Florian
Cajori, author of a standard work (I think the title is either "A
History of Mathematical Signs" or "A History of Mathematical
Notation"), it originated from the abbreviation <ps>, for "pesos."
The two vertical lines have their origin in the downstroke of the <p>
followed by a parallel upstroke, followed by a squiggle for the bowl
of the <p> and the <s>.

Improbable as this might seem, Cajori demonstrates the evolution of
the sign, with examples at different stages of the transition from
<ps> to <$>. The form with two vertical strokes, therefore, is the
original one.

Séamas Ó Brógáin
----------------



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Wed Oct 03 2001 - 09:49:57 EDT