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Tilde Use in Reports
3

Tilde Use in Reports

Tilde Use in Reports

(OP)
Is it acceptable to use the tilde (~) in reports, or is it better to write out "appox" or "approximately"?

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
Steven K. Roberts, Technomad
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

"appox" wouldn't work :)
From my experience, "~" has never been acceptable. When a report is copied, it can look like "-". Either spell it out or use "approx.".

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

When in doubt, spell it out.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

imho if the subject matter is mathematical in nature anyway we have to make assumptions about the minimum level of mathematical sophistication of the reader and choose symbols accordingly.  Some people don't know what an integral is either, but my equation isn't going to be any clearer by writing the word integral.

=====================================
Eng-tips forums: The best place on the web for engineering discussions.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

Agree. Spelling it out looks just as funny as spelling out a number as in the following example:

"We will send you 3 (three) copies of...."
or
"We will send you three (3) copies of...."

as if the number needs explanation, I never know why so many people write this way, except on a bank cheque where a hand-written number might be misread.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

it is bank "check", isn't it? winky smile

I never understood neither why number are written this way. Maybe to avoid confusing 3's and 8's or 1's and 7's on paper copies, depending on the font you use...

Also, I wouldn't use ~ but I would write "approx."

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer Consultant
France

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

2
English speakers in the UK use "cheque" to describe an order for their bank to pay funds to the credit of another, and "check" to decribe an inspection, or the act of conducting one.

English speakers in the US use "check" for both.

Don't know who says what elsewhere.

A.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

it is really funny how english english and american english can be different

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer Consultant
France

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

sorry it was Frenglish

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

I would use "~" in informal communication only.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

Does anybody use this? o_O I remember I learnt that at school, but it is far away behind me now...

Frenglish...lol, didn't know this word actually existed in english too

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer Consultant
France

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

Franglais

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

hey, looks like Greg also knows some French smile

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer Consultant
France

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

Quote:

Tilde does not mean approximately, it means order of magnitude:

Wait... isn't this an engineering forum, your statement seems contradictory

I use tilde for approximately in informal electronic communications. If it were a report I'd track down the appropriate character for the font set.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

"Tilde does not mean approximately, it means order of magnitude"

That's only for a tilde used as an operator between two other symbols or quantities.

Just a tilde before a number in a sentence is an informal means of indicating approximation.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

(OP)
Wikipedia says that the ~ can mean a lot of different things to different people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilde

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
Steven K. Roberts, Technomad
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

About this "three (3)" business:  About 20 years ago, I decided to never do this again.  It makes no sense and usually is not applied consistently.  I ignore reviewers requests to add the redundant information, unless charges of insubordination may result.  In that case, I roll my eyes and add the (xx), but only where noted by the reviewer.

Since I "just said no," I have not had one single problem associated with this.

I also never say "Pier No. 4" and just say "Pier 4" instead.  And I do not use quotes around letter designations (Ramp B, not Ramp 'B').  Again, no dire consequences!

This improves consistency, saves time and uses less ink.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

Is the tilde simply used because it is the nearest thing on the standard keyboard to the ≅ and ≈ symbols which legitimately mean 'approximately equal to'.

It beats me why one is described as meaning 'approximately equal to' and the other is described as meaning 'almost equal to' in the TGML character list. To me they are fairly interchangeable, but I expect I'm about to learn differently from someone who knows the difference.

----------------------------------
  I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy it...

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

What's that first one?  It came out looking like a square.

According to wikipedia, the lack of the squiggly equal sign on a standard keyboard led to use by some of tilde instead.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

The first one is #8773 in the TGML character set. The easiest way to describe it is that it looks like an = symbol with a tilde above it. Imagine the ≡ symbol with a wiggly top line. Let me guess - that's a square too? The second symbol in my last post was TGML character #8776.

----------------------------------
  I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy it...

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

how about "kinda"

as in "analysis shows the stress levels are (~) kinda OK"

winky smile

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

I've seen "ca." used frequently.  (oops, maybe by me!).

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

"ca." is the abbreviation for the Latin word "circa", meaning "about" or "approximately".

----------------------------------
  I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy it...

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

About the (3) three thing.  It adds some redundancy, which is welcome when you're looking at a third generation copy.

In some ways, I'd like to see redundancy like that in drawings, too.  In my advanced state of decrepitude, it's not always easy to distinguish the numerals '8' and '6', especially on a reduced print, especially with a fancy pseudo- lettering font.

Most civilians understand the tilde better than they understand concepts like significant digits.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

I propose that SI adopts a further supplementary unit - a nondimensional probability density function with mean of 1 and arbitrary variance called the "ish".

This unit is to be applied (in lower case) as a suffix to the reported figure, but before the multiplier and dimensioned unit.

For example:  100ish km.

A.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

I never use the ~ sign. Mainly because it is so difficult to get it right on our keyboards (Swedish). But I see Germans using it meaning "proportional to". Like "P ~ n^3"

"Ca" or "cirka" is commonly used in our corner of the world. We also use ? for "approximately".

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

Using ~ to indicate proportionality is likely another consequence of keyboards not featuring the proper symbol.  The "is proportional to" symbol is available in Microsoft's Equation Editor as a picture, but not as a text character in any font that I've seen.

Norm

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

Nice theory, but I've seen tilde used as 'roughly a function of' long before the ubiquousity of Microsoft software, or indeed keyboards for maths.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

In my daily usage, ~ is a handy shortcut for "home directory".  It's usually quite exact in this context.

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

zuesfaber, i am going to submit the unit "ish" to our drafting department manager for inclusion in our manual!  it will be so useful i don't think we will wait for SI adoption to implement it in our engineering.

clown

debodine

RE: Tilde Use in Reports

that's for sure!

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer Consultant
France

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