How to write the diameter symbol (ø and ø) with the keyboard

Today we are going to discover how to easily write one of those ancient symbols that we use today in formulas and calculations. We speak, of course, of the diameter symbol, which is drawn as Ø or ø.

It is certainly intricate, but when you are in the math world or just have a job to do, copying and pasting can be a very slow process. For that same reason, for your next research or writing you may be interested in knowing how to write this and other unusual symbols.

We will focus on the use and relevant things about the diameter symbol, but we will also see other interesting points above . Also, as we have once told you, before diving into Persian knowledge we are going to see a bit of history.

Index of contents

History of the diameter symbol (Ø or ø)

This symbol is represented by a perfect circle crossed by a slash.

Origin and use of the vowel / diphthong

Its origins are somewhat fuzzy, although some historians attribute it to the fusion of the letter "oe" as an abbreviation. Others believe that it arose in Anglo-Saxon England, where the fusion would be between "o" and "i" and would spread throughout Scandinavia and the Nordic countries.

The diameter symbol is a letter that is still in use today in Nordic languages ​​such as Danish, Faroese and Norwegian, as well as in parts of Africa . As a curiosity, in Denmark a political party is represented with this symbol and it only means island. On the other hand, some cultures of the old continent maintain ancient similes such as the French oe.

Sometimes it is referred to as “or with a bar” or “or crossed”, although, really, the symbol has its own name. It is pronounced in a similar way to "er" / "or", but to express it well you must practice.

Use of the diameter symbol in other disciplines

Leaving the realm of letters and the humanities, the diameter symbol is considerably popular. In mathematics and other sciences it is a symbol used for a wide variety of things. Among them we find:

• In logic and mathematics, represent the empty set (it is a slightly different symbol, but this is often used). Represent the diameter of a circle. It is often used to even write this symbol instead of the word “diameter.” In German-speaking countries, this symbol can be seen to represent the mean. Second representation of 0 (similar to the empty set) to differentiate it from the O. It is a common use among teachers of mathematics and telecommunication related subjects, a special symbol used in scores to denote some specific characteristics of the song.

As you can see, it is a widely used symbol. However, the disciplines that write them normally are not very popular.

How to write the diameter symbol?

To write this symbol we have three main methods and one of them is difficult to carry out if you do not belong to certain countries.

The first of them (and more difficult) is to have a specific keyboard with that key. In Danish and some German-speaking keyboards you can find this symbol since they use it in their day to day.

Danish keyboard with Ø symbol

The second method is to use tools where they offer you this symbol. For example, Microsoft Office and similar programs have an "Insert" section where they can insert "Symbols" . There you just have to look for the diameter symbol and press it to write it.

In a hypothetical case that you were writing in an application without this functionality, you could do the trick of opening Word , writing the symbol and copying and pasting it. However, it is quite cumbersome, so we do not recommend it.

The last method (and easiest of all) if you know the combination, is to use the ASCII contraction of the keyboard. The only detail is that you will need a numeric keypad, that is, a full size keyboard with the number pad on the right.

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To write the symbol, hold down “Alt” and press in sequence 0216 (Ø), 0248 (ø), 157 (Ø) or 155 (ø). At the end of the number sequence, release the "Alt" key and the symbol will be written automatically. When you read Alt + Number anywhere else it means you press it like this.

In case you did not know, we use the ASCII keyboard which has a lot of symbols and letters packed . However, most of them are not within reach with simple keys.

To access them we can use the mixed method previously described by pressing Alt together with different combinations. In the following table you will see most of the combinations:

ASCII table

Final words on Ø and ø

The use of certain letters and symbols can be amazing.

For some people, there are some who only know them by sight or ancient languages. However, as you can see, there are many different languages ​​and very different from Spanish or English that use these letters normally.

This does not mean that there are disciplines such as mathematics where these symbols are used for certain terms, wherever they come from. The most evident case is that of the representation of the empty set in philosophy and logic, since it is a universal standard.

We can also see its use in more colloquial and artistic fields such as title names. In the case of certain music bands we can see that some names and songs use said lyrics to enhance the style.

For example: the singer-songwriter MØ , the band Twenty Øne Pilots , but also company names like RØDE or Brøderbund.

In conclusion, we hope that you have understood this short tutorial and that it will serve you for your future projects. If you have any questions beyond what we show you here, do not hesitate to ask in the comment box.

Source Symbol Diameter