Although it is not very frequent in conventional texts, the diameter sign (Ø or ø) appears quite frequently on web pages and documents with mathematical content, to express formulas and other types of calculations. In this post we are going to see all the ways we can resort to write the diameter symbol.
Obviously, if we only have to use this symbol very occasionally, the quickest and easiest method is to copy paste. That is, look for an internet page or document in which said symbol appears, copy it with the mouse and paste it where we need to use it. This method can be effective, but not if we have to use this symbol more often. If that is your case, you will be interested in what we explain below:
Origin of the diameter symbol
The diameter symbol is represented by a circle crossed by a diagonal bar inclined to the right. Although it is used to express the length of the diameter of a circle (the straight line that passes through the center of a circle and touches two points on its edge), in reality its graphic origins are very different.
Some hypotheses suggest that it arises from the fusion of the letter "oe" used as an abbreviation, although other theories defend that it derives from the fusion of the vowel group "oi", from medieval writings from England and Scandinavia. In fact, one of the letters of the alphabet in Norwegian, Faroese and Danish languages It is expressed with this symbol. Its pronunciation is similar to that of the vowel ö in German, a kind of closed "o".
In these countries, the Ø symbol has been claimed as an expression of national identity because of its uniqueness, since it does not exist in other languages. A similar case would be that of the letter Ñ in Spanish. It is really curious that a simple letter of the alphabet can have so much charge.
But even if we are not going to write regularly in these languages, we may need use this symbol for other purposes and in more specific fields. Here are some examples:
- Acoustics: as a representation of wave change.
- Biology: to designate macrophage cells.
- Computer science: as a resource to differentiate the zero "0" from the letter "O".
- Linguistics: to express the figure of the elliptical subject.
- Mathematics: to express the empty set.
- Music: for chord ciphering.
- Advertising: Certain trademarks use this symbol for aesthetic reasons only in the names of their products.
How to write the symbol diameter?
Beyond the aforementioned “copy and paste” trick, there are three main methods for writing the diameter symbol (Ø), since it is not usually marked on the keys of a keyboard normal. Not all ways to achieve it are equally accessible. We explain them below:
Use a specific keyboard
In most parts of the world it is quite difficult to find a keyboard that has the Ø key. like the one in the image above. Naturally, this is not a problem in countries whose languages include this letter, such as Norway or Denmark. It is also possible to find them in Germany.
For a person who, for professional reasons (for example, a Danish translator) has to use this letter regularly, perhaps the best solution is buy one of these keyboards online. It will undoubtedly be a worthwhile investment. But if not, it is better to use other methods.
Use tools to insert symbols
Another way to capture the Ø sign in our writing is to use tools that allow us to insert this and other symbols. One of the most popular is Microsoft Office. For example, when we are writing on a Word page, we can use the “Insert” option, open the "special characters" and then choose the symbol we need. In our case, the diameter.
There are similar options in other office programs other than Microsoft, such as OpenOffice or LibreOffice. All of them will also serve us to be able to insert this symbol in our writings.
Use key combinations
The third method is perhaps the easiest, as long as we have a numeric keypad. That is, a large keyboard with the number keys on the right side. This method consists of using the ASCII system, which is based on the combination of keys to write specific symbols.
In the case at hand, that of writing the symbol Ø, we can use the following key combinations, which include upper and lower case. It is important to establish this distinction, since the small sign is usually used as a symbol for diameter (ø), while the large sign (Ø) serves to represent the empty set.
- Alt + 0216 (Ø).
- Alt + 0248(ø).
- Alt + 157 (Ø).
- Alt + 155 (ø).
The correct way to do this is to hold down the "Alt" key at all times and only stop pressing it after you have entered the complete sequence of numbers.