When you write the numeral “7”, do you include the crossbar in the middle or not?
I do, but I think I was taught this way in elementary school. Many people I know don’t.
I know that this style is popular in Germany, but is there a regional North American variation involved here?
Also, my “4” has a open top, to distinguish it from my “9”.
Crossed sevens, since high school German.
Fours are closed at the top.
Hey, me too. Also slashes through the zero.
Me too, on both counts. I also cross my zeds.
Crossed sevens, open fours, and slashed zeros since nursing school.
I do. My writing isn’t the greatest. I wasn’t taught it, but one of my professors did them that way and on a math test I got a problem wrong when in one of my calculations I got a 7 mixed up with a 2. I also do open top 4’s.
My sevens tend to look like a one, so I cross them (zeds too). My fours are halfway between open and closed.
ETA: Crossed sevens are not the norm here, but they aren’t too unusual, either. Very much a personal preference.
Crossed sevens, crossed zeds, usually open four, and sometimes crossed zeros.
I do it, but I spent a lot of my formative years overseas.
7, the way God intended. I also use open 4’s, not that that stops them looking like 9’s.
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
ETA: And my “zees” are all in cursive, so crossing wouldn’t apply.
I also cross my zeros, but I think that it might be because of my line of work.
I remember from high school German that the “1” has a big ass serif on top (almost to the point of looking like a “7”), but I don’t draw it that way.
I was taught the closed “4”, but it got mixed up just too much with my “9” so I taught myself to change it.
Looped 2s, closed-top 4s, crossed 7s, crossed 0s, crossed Zs.
American born and raised. I just prefer to eliminate all ambiguities. Also, since arthritis is taking its toll on me, I have the handwriting of a psychopath, so it’s kind of necessary.
I got into the habit of slashing zeros at the same time. This was reinforced by getting a job in computers. But I (mostly) broke the habit after visiting Sweden, where Ø is a letter.
Crossed 7s, crossed Zs, open 4s, crossed Zeroes.
After I became a CS major, I changed the way I write numerals. Crossed sevens and zeros, single stroke fours (like the Fantastic Four), twos without a loop (like a typewritten 2), and two separate circles for eights. I also cross my Zs (to distinguish them from 2s).
None of that was the way I was taught to write.
I just wish that computers would cross the zero! Very difficult to determine the difference between O, and 0.
Also, verbally I never say, Oh, for zero. Oh is a letter, zero is a numeral.
We’re not taught to do that here in the United States, but I think most everyone understands it.
Nevertheless, I do cross 7s and Zs, sometimes. My handwriting is terrible, so I’ll do anything to reduce confusion.
Closed 4s since graphics class in high school. Crossed 7s since living in Germany for three years. Also, it keeps someone from confusing a hastily written 7 with a one.
Crossed 7s. Open 4s. Sometimes I cross my z, usually not. Zeros are plain “0.”
Since the majority of people just use a straight up-down line for a one these days without any attempt to be fancy, I’m not sure I understand the point of crossed sevens. OTOH, some of my numbers are odd looking anyway. You know how an open 4 has that little bit sticking out on the right? Mine don’t, they stop at the straight up-down part. And The up-down part of a 5? I don’t do that either, but have an angled line off the loop. I’ve only ever had one person complain, though. (she thought it was remotely possible *someone *might think my 5 was a 3, not that she had any problem herself telling them apart.)