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Author Topic: Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?  (Read 7701 times)

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Offline Porter

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #25 on: September 18, 2008, 09:39:58 AM »
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When you do typesetting, you realize pretty quickly that a lot of the symbols you need are not on the keyboard, while a lot of symbols on the keyboard are actually used pretty rarely.
I think it's interesting that a lot of things that have built up around the standard keyboard, such as the internet and programming languages, have made use of these readily available but useless characters to the point that they're now essential.

For example, in programming, the pipe | character means OR.
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Offline Jonathon

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #26 on: September 18, 2008, 09:42:23 AM »
I believe the same goes with the @ sign in email addresses. I've heard that it was originally just an arbitrary separator between the account name and the domain name, but now we couldn't do without it.
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Offline Jonathon

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #27 on: September 18, 2008, 09:45:15 AM »
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Could it be that the grave accent ` is meant as a counter part to the apostrophe ' ?
I don't believe so. Actual apostrophes are curved, not angled, and the grave actually goes the wrong way.

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What was the original thinking behind the pipe | ?
I'm not sure, but I'll look into it later.

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How much do you need a prime ? when you have the apostrophe ' ?
The prime is used for mathematical stuff and for inches and feet. As with the apostrophe versus the grave accent, it's a very different mark.
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Offline Porter

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #28 on: September 18, 2008, 09:57:52 AM »
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I believe the same goes with the @ sign in email addresses.
Yup. That was the example I was thinking of when I mentioned the internet.

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The prime is used for mathematical stuff and for inches and feet.
Really?  I don't think I've ever typed that out or seen it typed out.
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Offline The Genuine

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #29 on: September 18, 2008, 10:18:04 AM »
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The prime is used for mathematical stuff and for inches and feet.
Really?  I don't think I've ever typed that out or seen it typed out.
?

Like in carpentry instructions?

Or a math textbook?
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Offline Porter

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #30 on: September 18, 2008, 10:20:57 AM »
Nope -- in those situations, I'd expect to see "in." or "ft." instead.
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Offline The Genuine

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #31 on: September 18, 2008, 11:22:18 AM »
That makes sense for the carprentry example, but for the math book example I meant the use of a prime to indicate a derivative.
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Offline The Genuine

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #32 on: September 18, 2008, 11:22:40 AM »
What's the purpose or origin of this character?

?
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Offline Tante Shvester

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #33 on: September 18, 2008, 11:25:11 AM »
I'm 5'4", but I use the apostrophe and quotes for that.

Maybe with the prime, I'd be taller.
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Offline Annie Subjunctive

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #34 on: September 18, 2008, 01:11:52 PM »
I think I'm going to write a scifi story about what the world would be like if the Chinese had invented the keyboard.
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Offline Brinestone

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #35 on: September 18, 2008, 08:11:39 PM »
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I'm 5'4", but I use the apostrophe and quotes for that.

Maybe with the prime, I'd be taller.
I'd always imagined you tall. *revises mental image*
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Offline Jonathon

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #36 on: September 18, 2008, 08:12:47 PM »
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What's the purpose or origin of this character?

?
To be extra exclamatory, I guess. Seems kind of pointless to me.
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Offline Porter

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #37 on: September 18, 2008, 09:57:42 PM »
I think it's for double negatives.
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Offline Tante Shvester

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #38 on: September 18, 2008, 10:40:45 PM »
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Quote
I'm 5'4", but I use the apostrophe and quotes for that.

Maybe with the prime, I'd be taller.
I'd always imagined you tall. *revises mental image*
Tall?  No.  Down to Earth.  Way down.
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Offline Porter

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #39 on: September 19, 2008, 07:04:26 AM »
For some reason, I always imagined Tante as short and her son as much taller than her.
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Offline Tante Shvester

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #40 on: September 19, 2008, 11:14:07 AM »
I'm 5'4".  Where I come from, that's not short.  In fact, I had no idea that I was short until I left home and went away to college.  I was definitely taller than most of my friends and family.  There was one girl in our circle of friends who was 5'8", and bemoaned her freakishly tall stature.  After she left home and went away to college, she discovered that she was a normal height.

My son is somewhat, but not "much" taller than I am.  But I think he's still growing.

I had a boyfriend in college who was 6 feet tall.  I thought he was a giant.  I couldn't understand why he didn't play on the basketball team.  He failed to understand why I was so impressed, since he didn't think that he was particularly tall.  Where I came from, guys just didn't get that tall.
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Offline Porter

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #41 on: September 19, 2008, 11:18:22 AM »
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I had a boyfriend in college who was 6 feet tall. I thought he was a giant.
One of my brothers is only six feet tall.  The rest of us mock him mercilessly as a dwarf.
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Offline Tante Shvester

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #42 on: September 19, 2008, 11:28:27 AM »
Wow.  It's like the Lilliputians and the Brobdingnagians.  
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Offline rivka

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #43 on: September 19, 2008, 03:53:45 PM »
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One of my brothers is only six feet tall.  The rest of us mock him mercilessly as a dwarf.
Other than the fact that apparently my brothers are nicer than yours (huh!), that sounds like them. One is 6 feet -- the other two considerably taller.
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Offline Porter

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #44 on: September 19, 2008, 04:43:43 PM »
Your brothers don't love the short one enough to good-naturedly rib him?  That's the saddest thing I've heard all day.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2008, 04:48:46 PM by Porteiro »
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Offline rivka

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #45 on: September 19, 2008, 05:33:21 PM »
Good thing it's not an accurate assessment of the situation. :P
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Offline Icarus

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #46 on: September 23, 2008, 08:51:23 AM »
There's a difference between prime and apostrophe? Huh. I had no idea.

I'd guess the | was included on the typewriter for making vertical columns, perhaps as dividers.
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Offline rivka

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #47 on: September 23, 2008, 09:15:58 AM »
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There's a difference between prime and apostrophe? Huh. I had no idea.
Oh good. It's not just me.
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Offline Jonathon

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #48 on: September 23, 2008, 11:57:06 AM »
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Offline Neutros the Radioactive Dragon

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Why is the abbreviation for "pounds" "lbs"?
« Reply #49 on: September 23, 2008, 12:32:09 PM »
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Possessive apostrophe
See also: Saxon genitive

I should have guessed that Saxon had something to do with it.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2008, 12:32:32 PM by Neutros the Radioactive Dragon »
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