this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2024
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a translation of @euphoric_cat’s illegible post

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[–] wander1236 74 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The percent symbol is based on Arabic numerals too

[–] [email protected] 78 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 6 months ago

lol v dvmbass

[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Um actually…

Latin: per centum

Italian per cento

Abbreviated to p. cento

Then just pc with a loop for the o in cento

Then the fraction bar came around to sub for per, the c became a circle, and % was born.

(Most of this after the adoption of Arabic numerals)

[–] _cnt0 24 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The c became a circle is nonsense. The two circles in % denote the two zeros in 100, as they denote the three zeros in thousand/per mille: ‰.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago

I would tend to agree that it’s likely an aspect of the reasoning for the double circle; a visual pun. I don’t know enough to dispute the Wikipedia article with evidence, however.

If that is the reasoning, I wish they would’ve done something less ambiguous, like -/c or over-lined 100.

[–] _cnt0 35 points 6 months ago (1 children)

*per C

The % symbol is based on the arabic numeral 0.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

ᴘᴀᴇɴɪᴛᴇᴛ & ᴅᴏʟᴇᴏ

[–] [email protected] 30 points 6 months ago

Whoa whoa whoa no e of that fancy new age Roman hippie crap.

It's XXVIIII per c, LVII per c, XIIII per c None of that SuBtRaCt stuff thpppppt

[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago

Bingo!

Sir we haven't even given the fourth num-

BINGO!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago

That’s numberwang!