Symbols:Division/Historical Note/Mistake

Source Work

2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.):

division sign

Mistake

The alternative sign $/$ ... was recommended by William de Morgan in $1845$ to simplify the printing of fractions.

Correction

William De Morgan, born $1839$, was the son of Augustus De Morgan, and as he was aged $6$ at the time, could not have been designing printed material.

It is assumed that Augustus De Morgan himself was meant here.

Sources

• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): division sign