European 7

Date: 8/15/96 at 20:51:53
From: Anonymous
Subject: European 7

Why is the numeral seven sometimes written with a line through it in 
Europe?

I've researched it in my encyclopedia and here and cannot find a 
reference. If you give me a reference, I'll research it.  Thanks.

Date: 8/16/96 at 13:27:44
From: Doctor Tom
Subject: Re: European 7

The line is to distinguish it from the numeral "1".  Most Europeans 
draw a "1" not with just a vertical line, but with a tiny stroke from 
the top and down to the left. If you're writing quickly, it's easy to 
mix it up with a "7".

For similar reasons, I've seen people cross their "z"s to keep them 
from looking like the numeral "2".

-Doctor Tom,  The Math Forum
 Check out our web site!  http://mathforum.org/dr.math/