Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 9:00 pm
Trond replied to my bit with
Whilst looking on the web I found this -
The symbol used to separate the integer part of a decimal number from its fractional part is called the decimal point. In the United States, the decimal point is denoted with a period (e.g., 3.1415), whereas a raised period, correct name interpunct, is used in Britain (e.g.,3·1415 ) and a decimal comma is used in continental Europe (e.g., 3,1415). The number 3·1415 is voiced "three point one four one five," while in continental Europe, 3,1415 would be voiced "three comma one four one five."
I don't know where this came from, unless it is something that has come about since 1969 when I left university. At junior school and six years at grammar shool then through university the centred decimal point was always used by everyone. I might also add that it is the way I have always written it and have no intention of changing. Looking back at my old maths books and especially the old log tables, it is the way it is printed in all of them. As I said in the original post the use of a full stop instead of the decimal point only started appearing, in this country at least, when the first home computers came on the market.3•14159 = 3*14159
Whilst looking on the web I found this -
The symbol used to separate the integer part of a decimal number from its fractional part is called the decimal point. In the United States, the decimal point is denoted with a period (e.g., 3.1415), whereas a raised period, correct name interpunct, is used in Britain (e.g.,3·1415 ) and a decimal comma is used in continental Europe (e.g., 3,1415). The number 3·1415 is voiced "three point one four one five," while in continental Europe, 3,1415 would be voiced "three comma one four one five."