Handwriting for math etc

May 28th, 2018
math, tech
I don't have very tidy handwriting, and for most things this is fine: there's enough redundancy in language that it will be clear from context what is a t and what is a +. When writing calculations, however, there's often a lot less redundancy and so it's more worth it to make sure distinctions aren't being lost. One way to handle this would be to have clean handwriting overall, but what I do instead is use glyphs that are more robust and remain distinct even if written poorly. [1]

Here are what I do with some tricky glyphs:


i j t + l 1 I 2 z 7 ;

It's nice if these are clear to other people, but the main goal is for them not to be confused with each other. Things to help this:

  • i includes a right hook
  • j is normal
  • t includes a right hook
  • + is normal
  • l is loopy/cursive
  • 1 is a straight line
  • I has top and bottom lines
  • 2 is normal
  • z has a cross
  • 7 has a cross
This lets me write thing like:


(zt + 2ij)/7Il

and still be able to read back what I wrote. This is also something I need when transcribing whiteboard coding interviews at work: [2]


for (int j = i; j < t + z; j++)

You might notice that I don't use this for the i or t in int. It's just for variables.


[1] I don't think this is original to me, but it's also something I picked up gradually as I realized that certain forms were more reliable.

[2] Yes, candidates write code on whiteboards, we transcribe it on paper, and then we type it into a computer for others to review. Someday candidates will write on laptops, I guess, but it was weird that we were doing it in 2010, and we're still doing it in 2018, so who knows.

Comment via: google plus, facebook, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

On Apologizing To Kids

Everyone is so weird about apologizing to children.

via Thing of Things August 25, 2025

Against the Teapot Hold in Contra Dancing

The teapot hold is the most dangerous common contra dancing figure, so I’ve been avoiding it. The teapot hold, sometimes called a "courtesy turn hold,” requires one dancer to connect with their hand behind their back. When I realized I could avoid put…

via Emma Azelborn August 25, 2025

Little Puppy

She's very little and she likes to do stuff with me. She also likes to bark around and run around and jump around. She also likes to go to places with me and that's all I have.

via Nora Wise's Blog Posts August 23, 2025

more     (via openring)