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OP
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I recalled a discussion or two over the past year referring to the hash key or octothorpe (ie #). Didn't have the time to browse all the Board's archives on the matter, but was wondering if the following were resolved......
#1 WHY/WHEN did the hash symbol (call it what you will!) get called in as a substitute for the word "number"?
#3 Thought of another application for this symbol and was wondering if there are more? The one I recalled is its use as a symbol for "mesh" - as used in laboratories to describe the aperture size of a screen (sieve)
#2 Whilst on the subject, is the abbreviation "No." short for the Latin "numero"? Speaking to a work colleague the other day who has a military background - uses "Nr." as the abbreviation.
stales
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enthusiast
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Computer guys can explain what I am going to say better than me...
I just know that the sign # is called NumberSign in UNICODE - which is, I believe, the standard attribution of numbers -from 0 to 255 or from1 to 256? to simbols to print .
P.S. 256 is a power of two, so it corresponds to the number of possible numbers - written in base two - with less than 8 digits.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Whilst on the subject, is the abbreviation "No." short for the Latin "numero"?
Well, the Latin is numerus, at least in the nominative singular. The Middle English was nombre so that may be a likelier source for the abbreviation no.
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the sign # is called NumberSign in UNICODE - which is, I believe, the standard attribution of numbers -from 0 to 255 or from1 to 256? to simbols to print
UNICODE is a rather than the standard, but it is a very important and widely used one. (The lovely thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from) It used to be a 16 bit standard allowing 65536 characters, but now has some extensions. It covers most current written languages and typographical symbols such as chess games, weather forcasts, etc., allowing most text to be unambiguously transmitted between systems.
From 0-127 UNICODE is identical to the ASCII designations. My Unicode manual (admitedly a little old now) gives 0023 (hexadecimal) as NUMBER SIGN and = pound sign as a subsidary usage. Note that this is a different character from the similar symbols of mathematical "Equal and Parallel to" at 22D5 and "Viewdata Square" at 2317. There is also a "Fullwidth" version of the Number sign at FF03 for use in Japan.
I'd completely forgotten I knew all this!
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old hand
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OP
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I'm thinking the hash symbol for "number" goes back much further than the computer era. My father is 75, with a background in mathematics and engineering - and he's always used it.
stales
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Was it also mentioned that # is used to represent fracture (eg # L NoF)?
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#3 Thought of another application for this symbol and was wondering if there are more? The one I recalled is its use as a symbol for "mesh" - as used in laboratories to describe the aperture size of a screen (sieve)
My wife, who works in the medical field, was taught to use the # as an abbreviation for "pounds," when noting weight measurements. It is commonly referred to as the "pound sign" here in the US, but I wonder if the name came from the practice of using it as the abbreviation, or if it was used for the abbreviation because of the name.
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"# L NoF"
Do explain - please!!
stales
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Carpal Tunnel
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Congrats, stales! (BTW: "Do --- please"? Such excitement!  )
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# L NoF = fractured left neck of femur.
What is commonly, though incorrectly, referred to as a broken hip.
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old hand
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OP
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'Twould seem that, from the evidence provided by these posts, that the # sign is perhaps the most versatile accessory to the written language.
Anybody think of any other contenders?
stales
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I would think the dot . is the most versatile. It can signify the end of a sentence. Three in a row ... signifies that a list goes on and on. One on top of each other : et voila, your list starts. On top a comma ; signifies a change of direction in a sentence.
In front of a bracket and you have eyes : )
AND place them strategically and you have braille.*
(* or chicken pox)
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Carpal Tunnel
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Or...(why not?)connect the dots.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Well, in learning what an octothorpe is, and reading the discussion about dots, I thought I should add, to help make the list complete about the versatility of the dot, we should also include the decimal point and dotted rhythms in music.
WW
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about the versatility of the dot, we should also include the decimal point and dotted rhythms in music
...and, of course, an octothorpe is almost identical to the musical symbol for a sharp.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Also see new thread "followed by an octothorpe" in the forum Wordplay and fun.
http://wordsmith.org/board/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=wordplay&Number=75453&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5
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I used the term 'octothorp' in a short document describing a program I wrote. My boss, reviewing my work, made a notion "What's that?"
k
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stranger
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Sorry, I have not yet read all the posts in this subject yet, so if this factoid has been mentioned, please forgive me.
I have always heard that the # is called an "octothorpe" because, on the old IBM punch cards it was indicated by a combination punch, using the numbers 8 and 3, thus octothorpe.
Sue
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I don't really have anything intelligent to say on the subject (surprise, surprise) I'm just rolling out the red carpet and saying WELCOME  to Sue in Chicago! (Oh dear, I can see you becoming abbreviated to SIC - of course, it will only be done with the nicest of intentions, and in the efforts of typing efficiency.)
Glad to have you with us Sue!
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