The smaller, higher alternative is the diacritic, "ring": <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_%28diacritic%29>. --
> From: Howard Ressel <[email protected]> > Reply-To: <[email protected]> > Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 14:55:35 -0500 > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Subject: [USMA:46847] Re: degrees symbol > > That must be for mac's. It did not work on my Windows xp machine, maybe it > works in 2007 Ill have to check at home. In Windows its ALT 0186 which gets > the same thing. Im not sure if you can add keystrokes to a short cut (like a > macro) probably can in Word. That would be nicer. > -- > > "Go for a Metric America" > Howard Ressel > Project Design Engineer, Region 4 > (585) 272-3372 > > >>>> On 3/5/2010 at 9:56 AM, in message > <[email protected]>, Bill Hooper > <[email protected]> wrote: >> I recently discovered an easier and better way to type a degrees symbol on >> the computer. Maybe some (all?) of you already knew this but I didn't. >> >> I had been using the combination >> <option-shift-8> >> (that is, <option-*>, since <shift-8> is the asterisk). I recently learned >> that >> I can use >> <option-k> >> (note, it's not <option-K>, with a capital K, which is something else >> interesting but not the degree symbol). >> >> Note that the option key may be labelled "alt" or "alternate" on other >> computers. >> >> If you're not interested in my unending list of examples, you may stop >> reading now; there's nothing much new below. >> >> EXAMPLES >> >> The <option-shift-8> results in the following examples (on my computer at >> least): >> >> 20 °C is comfortable. >> The degree symbol is " ° ". >> 32 °F = 0 °C >> A right angle is 90°. >> >> Using <option-k> instead, these become: >> >> 20 *C is comfortable >> The degree symbol is " * ". >> 32 *F = 0 *C >> A right angle is 90*. >> >> I have enlarged the print to 18 pt. in the examples to emphasize the >> differences in the otherwise quite small degree symbol. You will note that >> the <option-shift-8> method gives a larger circle and the <option-k> a >> smaller >> one. In small sized type, the larger version might be preferred; the small >> one might be too tiny to see. The <option-k> version also seems to print the >> degree symbol a little bit higher than the <option-shift-8> version. That >> seems >> to be more evident on smaller sized type. >> >> Here is my set of examples again, in smaller type (10 pt.). >> >> Using <option-shift-8>: >> >> 20 °C is comfortable >> The degree symbol is " ° ". >> 32 °F = 0 °C >> A right angle is 90°. >> >> Using <option-k> instead, these become: >> >> 20 *C is comfortable >> The degree symbol is " * ". >> 32 *F = 0 *C >> A right angle is 90*. >> >> Here are the two symbols side-by-side, <option-shift-8> on the left and >> <option-k> on the right, in 10 pt. type with a couple numbers added to >> illustrate the position relative to numeric characters: >> >> 20 °C ° ° ° ° ° 90° 20 *C * * * * 90* >> >> and again in 18 pt. type: >> >> 20 °C ° ° ° ° ° 90° 23 *C * * * * 90* >> >> Regards, >> Bill Hooper >> Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA >> >> °*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*° >> SImplification Begins With SI. >> °*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*° >
