Double cross (characters)

#

The Double Cross ( # ), and pound sign or short hash or hash (English for, chop '), is used in many areas and with correspondingly different meanings. When naming, there are also (similar to English names) number sign and hash marks or - even jokingly - (pork) gate , cross bar and picket fence . The designation diamond is preferred in connection with screen text , computer keyboards and telephones and does not refer to the (non -diamond-shaped ) character shape. On some large PBXs, the name is square . In Switzerland the name Gartenhag (Swiss German for garden fence ) is common, in southern Germany also garden fence . In northern Germany the term "gate fence" is also used. It is not the same sign as the cross in musical notation ♯ (to increase a tone by a semitone) in music.

In the age of the Internet medium, the # symbol also became known in the media through Twitter and marks a highlight in the text. On some websites, for example, there is a double cross as a symbol for meta tags or hashtags . It is also used in advertising, but also in news.

As a number sign , it is used particularly in Canada and the USA to identify numbers in numbering; it is placed in front of the number. Another use is as a unit symbol for the American pound as the so-called pound sign ; in this case it is placed after the number. Accordingly, the telephone key marked with the symbol is sometimes referred to as a pound key . In other English-speaking regions, the term hash sign is used alongside others .

Emergence

One theory claims that the double cross was developed from the ligature lb for pound (℔ for Latin libra : "scales, balance, pound").

Meanings and Uses

In computer science and IT

In some programming languages (e.g. C ) as a prefix for preprocessor directives

Comment characters in many programming languages , for example Perl , the Computer Algebra System Maple and in .htaccess files

In ColdFusion , all variables (including database fields ) are placed between two double crosses

In URL information as a separation of jump labels on an HTML anchor from the rest of the information

is prefixed with a hexadecimal color definition in HTML and CSS

As a unique ID in CSS compared to the class designation with a preceding point

Under Unix-like operating systems , the character combination #!(called shebang ) at the beginning of a file identifies it as a script program , provided that the path to the associated interpreter program follows.

Under Unix-like operating systems, it indicates as a prompt in the shell that it is a root shell

leads, entered in the search bar , in many wikis back to the main page

In the name of the programming language C # (pronounced “C-Sharp”, which corresponds to the German “Cis”) and F # , the pound sign is used instead of the (musically correct) character ♯ .

In technology

Star and diamond on a telephone keypad, 1982

Double cross, rhombus and star on a calculating machine, ca.1970

The “rhombus” symbol on the telephone keypad , actually a separate character ⌗ (Unicode: U + 2317 viewdata square ), is often represented by the hash symbol .

One of several prefixes for names of IRC channels.

For on- screen text as a terminator for addresses.

On calculating machines , the “non- calculating key” is marked with a double cross. It has the effect that the digit sequence entered last appears on the printout as a "number" without being taken into account in the calculation result (in accordance with the term "number symbol"). In this function, the symbol is standardized in DIN ISO 7000 “Graphic symbols on facilities” as the symbol ISO-7000-0657 Non-Add .

In math

Especially in North America to indicate the ordinality of a number, for example "# 1", read "Number 1"
As an alternative to a pair of vertical bars ("||") to indicate the thickness of a set
As a substitute for a parallelogram

Others

The double cross is not identical to the cross ♯ in musical notation, but is often used as a substitute symbol, see below .

In chess notation , the # means mating the opponent

In medicine , the # is used as a symbol for broken bones. For example, a metatarsal fracture is abbreviated with MFK- #.

In heraldic jargon, the double cross is used as a symbol for the color black.

In tables or similar, # is often used as a replacement for the word "number". For example, “# = 10” then means “Number = 10”.

When taking down interviews, the pound sign serves as a substitute for swear words or vulgar expressions if the journalist does not want to reproduce the interviewee's outbursts in the original. It thus takes on the role of the beep in audio recordings.

The double cross is often used as a hashtag in microblogging services such as Twitter in combination with keywords .

In administration, # is used as an abbreviation for the minister.

Representation in computer systems

In the international Unicode character coding system , “#” is in position U + 0023 and is called “Number sign” there. In the ASCII character set the character is in the same position; in the EBCDIC character set at code position 7B _hex . The HTML character reference is #.

keyboard

On the German keyboard , the pound sign is usually on the key between Äand the enter key. On the Swiss keyboard, it is the third assignment on the number key 3.

On the British keyboard, the double cross is in the same position as on the German keyboard; here, however, between the apostrophe key and the enter key. The American keyboard has the pound sign above the number 3key in the upper row of keys.

Replacement

Since all modern computer systems and fonts are based on Unicode or the older ASCII standard, the character can be displayed, processed, transmitted and archived worldwide without any problems. A replacement for technical reasons is therefore hardly necessary. However, it can be replaced by " ?? = " in texts in the C programming language , as it is not part of the core set of ISO 646 characters . Even if the keyboard used does not have the character, it can usually be inserted using a corresponding function of the operating system or the respective text editor .

Similar characters

Lattice cross

The musical sharps ♯ (U + 266F, "Musical Sharp Sign"), called " Cross is called," is its own character. So the pound does not belong to musical notation ( music ), but as a surrogate for ♯ used.
In heraldry , the lattice cross is a heraldic figure .

Table with variants and similar characters

character	Unicode position	Unicode designation	designation	block	Latex
#	U + 0023	number sign	Double cross	Basic Latin	`\#`
⋕	U + 22D5	equal and parallel to	same and parallel	Mathematical operators
⌗	U + 2317	viewdata square	“ Hash ” on telephone and on- screen text keyboards	Various technical signs
♯	U + 266F	musical sharp sign	Cross (musical notation)	Different symbols	`\sharp`
ⵌ	U + 2D4C	tifinagh letter tuareg yazh	(Letter of the Tifinagh script)	Tifinagh
井	U + 4E95		a CJK symbol, Chinese "fountain" (jǐng), see also fountain field system	Unified CJK ideograms
ꖛ	U + A59B	vai syllable pu	(Sign of the Vai - syllabary )	Vai
﹟	U + FE5F	small number sign	Small double cross	Small variations in shape
＃	U + FF03	fullwidth number sign	Full-width double cross	Half-width and full-width shapes
?	U + 10139	aegean weight second subunit	Aegean symbol for second weight sub-unit	Aegean numerals
?	U + 10995	meroitic hieroglyphic letter se	(Sign of the Meroitic script )	Meroitic hieroglyphs
?	U + 1D130	musical symbol sharp up	Microtonal accidentals "cross raised"	Musical notation
?	U + 1D131	musical symbol sharp down	Microtonal accidentals "cross lowered"	Musical notation

Web links

Carpet & Co. - A list of more or less common incorrect names for the pound sign and other special characters.

Individual evidence

↑ pound sign. Duden, accessed on June 23, 2015 . : “Characters in a text, on a keyboard, which consists of a cross made up of two horizontal and two oblique vertical lines: #; Short form: diamond "
↑ diamond. Duden, accessed on June 23, 2015 . : “Meanings: 1. Rhombus; 2. (EDP, telephony) Short form for hash sign “.
↑ Hashtag and pound sign. welt.de, June 13, 2013, accessed June 23, 2015 .
↑ Keith Houston: Shady Characters. New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-393-06442-1 , p. 42.
↑ Computer dictionary: Walther Multa 32. Retrieved on July 31, 2012 .
↑ Erich Ruhland: The secretary. A teaching, work and reference book for questions and answers. 5th edition. Frankfurt am Main 1972, p. 144: 64. What does the do not calculate key do? - It stops the activity in the counter and prints the keyed in value: for example the date, receipt and number, ...
↑ Maximilian Gritzner: Principles of heraldic art, combined with a manual of heraldic terminology. Bauer & Raspe, Nuremberg 1889–1890 (facsimile edition 2012: ISBN 3-226-00671-1 ), p. 39, illustration panel 6, no. 71.
↑ Scott Pakin: The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List. (PDF, 8.7 MB) January 19, 2017, archived from the original on September 28, 2017 ; Retrieved on September 28, 2017 (English, linking the original results in a mirror of CTAN , the archive link compare file: Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol list.pdf ).

[1] pound sign. Duden, accessed on June 23, 2015 . : “Characters in a text, on a keyboard, which consists of a cross made up of two horizontal and two oblique vertical lines: #; Short form: diamond "

[2] diamond. Duden, accessed on June 23, 2015 . : “Meanings: 1. Rhombus; 2. (EDP, telephony) Short form for hash sign “.

[3] Hashtag and pound sign. welt.de, June 13, 2013, accessed June 23, 2015 .

[4] Keith Houston: Shady Characters. New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-393-06442-1 , p. 42.

[5] Computer dictionary: Walther Multa 32. Retrieved on July 31, 2012 .

[6] Erich Ruhland: The secretary. A teaching, work and reference book for questions and answers. 5th edition. Frankfurt am Main 1972, p. 144: 64. What does the do not calculate key do? - It stops the activity in the counter and prints the keyed in value: for example the date, receipt and number, ...

[7] Maximilian Gritzner: Principles of heraldic art, combined with a manual of heraldic terminology. Bauer & Raspe, Nuremberg 1889–1890 (facsimile edition 2012: ISBN 3-226-00671-1 ), p. 39, illustration panel 6, no. 71.

[LATEX-8] Scott Pakin: The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List. (PDF, 8.7 MB) January 19, 2017, archived from the original on September 28, 2017 ; Retrieved on September 28, 2017 (English, linking the original results in a mirror of CTAN , the archive link compare file: Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol list.pdf ).