Handwriting

At the historic current of xvi my older blood brother started writing inwards the agency of the wording used on the embrace of Siamese Dream past times Smashing Pumpkins. I believe the font is Agatha.

He did it real well, with meticulous attending to detail, though it must receive got slowed him downward considerably inwards his H5N1 degree exams. He is straightaway a 37 twelvemonth sometime solicitor in addition to I tin give notice even then encounter the Smashing Pumpkins' influence inwards his handwriting.

In typical younger sis style, I attempted to re-create his cool handwriting. I wasn't every bit dedicated every bit he was, but I did get down to lay a claw on the scope of the missive of the alphabet a. I hooked the missive of the alphabet a throughout my H5N1 levels, academy in addition to my career prior to teaching.

During my NQT twelvemonth this hooked a started causing me problems. My handwriting on the board is messy, in addition to my students were oftentimes confused when I wrote the missive of the alphabet a inwards algebra. They couldn't say if it was a missive of the alphabet or a number. It looked similar an ugly 2. Over the class of my NQT twelvemonth I made a witting travail to halt hooking the missive of the alphabet a, in addition to every bit a consequence my students no longer asked me to translate my handwriting. Well, until concluding week...

The crossed Z
I was going through a Normal Distribution example on the board when a Year thirteen raised his hand.

'Miss, what does that symbol represent?'

I was flummoxed for a second. This shape were studying S2 - they'd learnt the Standard Normal Distribution inwards Year 12, then the annotation should travel familiar. I looked at what I'd written on the board:

'What symbol? The Z?'
'Oh, is that a Z?'
'Yes, it's a Z.'
'Why does it receive got a occupation through it?'
'That's what Z looks like. Or mayhap it's merely how I write it. I suppose it's then it doesn't acquire confused with a 2. Does anyone else hither cross their Zs?'
All xi students milk shiver their heads.
'Oh. I idea everyone did. I'm non certain when I started doing it. But I e'er cross my Zs.'

I wrote the tidings lazy on the board to demonstrate my crossed z. They looked at me similar I was crazy. Self uncertainty crept in.

I did a Twitter poll in addition to thankfully it confirmed that the agency I write the missive of the alphabet Z is totally normal (pardon the pun) with maths folk:

Most tweeters confirmed that they cross their Zs to avoid confusion with 2s, inwards the same agency crossing 7s avoids confusion with 1s.

I had a fascinating tweet from air traffic controller @jlaa who has to brand certain he doesn't cross his 7s because a crossed vii has a real specific meaning. The film below shows flying details written on strips - both exhibit that the aircraft has been told to descend from 7000ft to 5000ft. In the bottom film it is prophylactic to number 7000ft to some other flying but inwards the scope film it isn't. He has to travel real careful non to automatically cross his 7s.

Does handwriting matter?
I learn a Year thirteen Further Maths shape in addition to most of them are going to report maths or applied scientific discipline at university. I talked to them most mathematical handwriting for the starting fourth dimension time concluding week. They were interested, in addition to it led to discussions most annotation such every bit the role of dots for multiplication in addition to commas for decimal points. I felt similar it was a tidings worth having.

When letters are unclear inwards words nosotros tin give notice unremarkably translate the pregnant past times considering the context or looking at the other letters. But when letters in addition to numbers are unclear inwards mathematics nosotros mightiness non receive got whatever clues. This tin give notice travel a occupation for examination markers, specially if they are marking private questions then can't mention to the residue of the newspaper for clarity. My colleague told me she has a Year 10 pupil who writes the numerals nine in addition to four inwards exactly the same way. He may good destination upwardly losing marks inwards his GCSE because of this.

Here's some pictures from my Year thirteen students' mock C3 exams. The starting fourth dimension pupil has problem with his ones. He hooks the scope in addition to draws a occupation at the bottom then they sometimes await similar twos. In this film it's clear, but solely because at that topographic point are twos at that topographic point for comparison.

Here's the same enquiry answered past times some other of my Year 13s. This boy's brackets drive me crazy. Since September I've been complaining that his brackets are besides much similar modulus signs. He is clearly trying to laid this because the slight bend on the correct bracket is an improvement on what I've seen previously.

Later inwards the newspaper his brackets acquire fifty-fifty straighter.

I volition proceed to berate him for this inwards the promise that he volition milk shiver the habit. 

Good practice
I holler upwardly that guidance on mathematical handwriting should travel delivered inwards Year 7. The importance of clear handwriting - in addition to tips such every bit the crossing of the vii in addition to the Z - should travel made explicit. This postal service Tips for mathematical handwriting is a adept starting indicate (though teachers from exterior the the U.S. of A. won't travel happy with the missive of the alphabet x here!).

Christian Perfect picked upwardly on this international x discrepancy a few years agone - his article Let's speak most X is worth a read.

I receive got a pupil who does 'joined up' xs (ie he doesn't receive got his pen off the paper) - encounter film below. They await similar ns. Making x await similar n is pretty unusual. Do your students receive got whatever odd handwriting habits?

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Further Reading

• Old Pappus' Book of Mathematical Calligraphy
• A Guide to Writing Mathematics 
• Ten Simple Rules for Mathematical Writing (via Colleen Young's postal service Mathematical Handwriting)