"Please write your numbers the American Way"

[cantue5]

Back in the day when I used fat 1 inch pencils and Red Indian paper, I was taught to write the 4 open and the one with the little slash at bottom and at the top. When I went in the military (Marines) I was told to right the sevens with the slash and to put a slash though my zeros so that they would not get confused with nine and O. If someone told me to write numbers in American I would probably tell them that is the only way I know how to right them. I am sure there is a book out there somewhere that will give how numbers are to be properly written. As a matter of fact...I will look it up now and see if I can find some info on it.

[WAPM]

So here's a question. How many people put a line at the top of their J's? I used to when I was a wee little one learning how to write, but I stopped after I started seeing people leave it off the top.

I still handwrite the same way I was taught back in grade two with the exception of my signature. I handwrite so little that I never really developed my own style of handwritting.

[Dinosaur32]

I believe (from the deep recesses of my ancient mind0 that our numeralks are derived from Arabic numerals as opposed to Roman numerals. I think the original numerals each had the same number of angles as the numeral represented. Forexample, the numeral one had a flag at the top to the left creating a single angle, the numeral four would be a triangle with the reight side extending downward creating four angles, and so on, with the numeral zero represented by a circle with no angles. There is really no right or wrong way to print these numbers as none of use the originals.

[willowdared]

So here's a question. How many people put a line at the top of their J's? I used to when I was a wee little one learning how to write, but I stopped after I started seeing people leave it off the top.

How about the dot above the lower case j?

[UH60fixer]

I went to visit my Sister last night. My little nephew asked me to help him with his homework, so of course I went right in... He had his new Homework updated with a little message:

Please write your numbers the AMERICAN WAY!

I never realized that we had an American way of writing numbers but apparently this 3rd Grade Teacher felt so.

The Left side is the UnAmerican Way, The Right Side Is The American Way!!


Any thoughts??? Are any other Americans Being UnAmerican and writing your numbers the incorrect way?

That's odd. In the American school I attended for primary school, our teachers taught us to write them the 'un-American way' so as to avoid confusion. They also taught us to write the letter "Z" with the slash across the diagonal part (like in the number "7") to avoid confusion when people were reading our handwritten things.

Speaking of Un American, that's also the way the stats prof (a Col.) at my military school wrote numbers. Of course, he (let's call him Col. Pain) had terrible handwriting and wouldn't answer questions (say you asked "Col Pain, is that word sin? Or three? I can't quite read it from here (the sample would say ~, just a bunch of squiggly lines not even the Col could read) He would say "SHUT UP, NO TALKING, READ THE BOOK!" and throw pieces of chalk. Crusty old guy...

[SlowDownThere]

Be careful what you admit to guys. This is a public forum. What with the Patriot Act, you could easily be targeted for investigation if you admit to writing in an un-American style.

And for God's sake, never, under any circumstances, pronounce the last letter of the alphabet as "zed." Some guy I know did that, and now he is in Gitmo.

[amblnc38]

The only time I write my z's with the hash mark is when I'm using it as a variable in math so that I don't mistake it as a two if I'm writing in a hurry and my printing gets sloppy.

I write my twos with a loop in them...

Drove my teachers nuts, made my squadmates happy as hell.

[TAHunt]

BTW, what was the assignment for? Could the lesson be applicable to what is being taught? It may not be nitpicking on the teachers part but fit into something they are discussing. An example would be Roman Numerals. I cannot remember a time in my life that I have used Roman Numerals that past V. Yet, I still learned them and had to know them back when I was in school.

How else would we know what Superbowl is being played?
The number system used in our and most other countries is actually the Arabic numeral system, so the American way of writing numbers, technically, is the Arabic way...

[Cannon74]

The numbers on the left are written European style. The other ones(American style) are the ones our keyboards are based on. In the military I also was trained to write open 4's and slashed 0's and then in Architectural school that was challenged immediately. Eventually I learned that writing is an individual skill and art whether it is neat or not and like art there are people passionate about it one way or another even if they do not know the history behind it.
This child will be with that teacher for only one year(hopefully) but with his father for much longer. Better to go the path of the father.

[Kpdpipes]

I'm enough of a smartass, that i'd have my daughter writing in Roman numerals for a week, just to be a PITA.

[taz1802]

LOL....just like you I'd teach my daughter roman numerals then have her use them.

[suncrafter]

I've always have used the open top "4" myself.

[SMPPD87]

i write my 7's that way since i have horrible handwriting and it distinguishes them from other numbers/letters. i put a slash through Z's too or else they look like the number 2.