Talk:Tally marks

The Square Symbols

The third image in this article doesn't have a caption explaining its origin, ie: who uses these symbols as tally marks? func(talk) 15:25, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)

LL-to-UR or UL-to-LR?

What is the proper (or even popular) method of doing the fifth tally mark in the US, "Upper-Left to Lower-Right" or "Lower-Left to Upper-Right"? An organization I work with uses these for counting every day, and we find it interesting that most people do "Lower-Left to Upper-Right," but one or two people do the other way. Anyone know the "proper" methodology of tallying? Zebov ^{(talk|contribs)} 14:07, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

I would think there is no "proper" method, no norm for this. But could it be related to handedness? With the elbow as a centre, right handed people will most easily produce / (LL-to-UR), and left handed people \ (LR-to-UL). By the way, how do you cross a check?--Niels Ø 22:52, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

I am right-handed and do both my tally crossing and check "crossing" as / (LL-to-UR)... interesting. Zebov ^{(talk|contribs)} 14:03, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

I am right handed and from the UK, and we mostly just go straight across eg. horizontly.

I'm a Baby-boomer from Michigan (USA Midwest) and was taught (approximately) upper left to lower right. I actually have never noticed that people do it otherwise in the US, but now that you mention it, yup. You should note that the picture of the count in the article is most consistent with UL-LR, too. Also, I am strongly right-handed and couldn't disagree more with the claim that rh will most easily produce a / rather than a \. Writing top to bottom left to right is clearly more common (in the English speaking world) and the motion for the down-stroke UL→LR, \, is MUCH more consistent with this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.189.79.42 (talk) 22:31, 13 May 2015 (UTC)

"Tally" mark vs. "Hash" mark

I was taught (in school or somewhere) that what are here defined as "Tally marks" are called "Hash marks." The Hash marks article doesn't mention them, and this article doesn't mention the alternate name. I have nothing to cite other than "my brain." Is this yet another example of my education being so singular that I'm the ONLY person who ever was taught this? Fitfatfighter 06:55, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

I was taught to call them "hash marks" too. Perhaps it's an Americanism. I also use the / slant for crossing them. I don't think this should be folded into the article on unary number systems, though, since tallying isn't quite the same thing. 151.199.50.117 21:55, 21 October 2007 (UTC)rabidsamfan

Check out Hash, Hash mark, Hatch mark and Hash marks - some tidying up is called for here.--Niels Ø (noe) 22:02, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Chinese tally marks

Are the chinese tally marks available as unicode characters? 正丅 are available. 70.51.11.226 (talk) 05:49, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

No. 丅 is an entirely different character, with an entirely different meaning. -- 李博杰  | —Talk contribs 12:03, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

Seriously? The ancient Chinese thought THAT was the most efficient means of tallying? They couldn't POSSIBLY have determined a better way? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.117.6.73 (talk) 16:39, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

chinese tally marks - 5 step list.

the article shows the stroke order with this image:

• 

but then also lists the steps 1-5:

1: 一

2: 丅

3: 下 ? or 上 ?

4: 止 ?

5: 正

but steps 3 and 4 in the list don't match the 3^rd and 4^th steps in the image.

going to the wiktionary article for the character 正 there are 2 more images that show the stroke order.

• 

what's going on with steps 3 and 4 in the list??

≈Sensorsweep (talk) 21:08, 17 October 2013 (UTC)