Can you help me make rho and p look distinct in my handwriting?

[Just a nobody]

Does anyone have any handwriting suggestions to keep rho (lowercase) and p from looking too alike?

Currently, I differentiate them by making the top left corner of rho rounded and keeping the top left corner of p pointed. However, this isn't a very noticeable difference, especially when writing them small (e.g. in exponents).

 

[JasonRox]

What is rho?

 

[Just a nobody]

rho = $$\rho$$

It's often used to represent density and the radial component in spherical coordinates, among other things.

 

[tiny-tim]

Hi Just a nobody !

I write p with a straight tail, and ρ with a nice curly tail.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Why do they choose Greek symbols that resemble our alphabet? There's plenty of others they can choose from that look unique. Or are they all already taken?

 

[Ben Niehoff]

Just wait until you get to write such lovely expressions as

$$\mathbf{X} \times \mathbf{\chi}(x)$$

 

[Chi Meson]

as a teacher, I make sure my students make a difference between rho and p, just as they must make a difference between nu and v. The trick is with seriphs.

the rho is a single stroke, starting below the line going up, curving around and NOT quite contacting the stem.

the "p" begins with a seriph, then downstroke, then up and looping to make definite contact with the stem.

Similarly, the nu begins with a straight down line, then a back-curving up stroke and maybe even a small inward seriph. The "v" is a "v" ending with an outward seriph.

 

[Moonbear]

I always just made rho a lot more slanty, plus it's more curved because you start at the bottom of the stem and draw it all in one stroke. A p starts with a straight up and down line.

 

[lisab]

I always just made rho a lot more slanty, plus it's more curved because you start at the bottom of the stem and draw it all in one stroke. A p starts with a straight up and down line.

Yes, I also made mine slanty, and I also put a curly tail on it.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

I write my rhos backwards from you people. I start at the baseline, draw the circular part counter-clockwise, and then follow through to the descender. I usually make the descender fairly straight, althought sometimes it has a slight wave in it.

For p, I first make the vertical line, and then make the circle in a second stroke.

 

[Dembadon]

... you people. ...

What do you mean, "you people"?

 

[rolerbe]

I put a reverse (to the left) tail hook on rho.

 

[waht]

I write rho at an angle, and leave a gap in the circle part of it close to the stem.

 

[Office_Shredder]

The question of whether a letter is rho or p is $$N \rho$$ complete

 

[Vanadium 50]

I also use serifs. A p will have a serif on the descender. A nu will have a serif on the right stroke. If I have an upper case X and a Chi, the X will have a serif on the top right.

 

[ninar]

yes! rho is kinda italic and rounded, and "p" has a point sticking out.

But SERIOUSLY why do they do this? For example use x, y, and lambda! you can esasily erase/add a little line to each, specially when theyre subs. it is also horrible to see a badly drawn sigma with a little curve sticking out and it looks like theta. oh! and also "sub" z or "sub" 2... or, a less common, when its marker on board, they just poke a little dot: "is it... multiplying or substracting?"

 

[ninar]

also, silly question, but are there any phrasings of mathematics in english that are funny? For example, I had a teacher that literally couldn't contain her laughter every single time she said "sin of theta", in spanish "seno de la teta" seno=boob teta=tit... she also laughed with "p2" =fart in spanish... there were others but i can't remember

 

[rolerbe]

Never send a spanish teacher to do a mathematicians job!

 

[Astronuc]

ρ or ρ vs p

My favorite Greek symbol is $$\xi$$ followed by $$\zeta$$