Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 October 1893 — The Decimal Point. [ARTICLE]

The Decimal Point.

In both France and Germany onefourth (1-4) reduced to a decimal is written as 0,25; in England it is written 0 25 (always with the period at the top of the line), and in the United States in this way, 0.25. France and Germany always use the comma (,), England and tho United States the period (.), the only difference being the manner in which it is placed upon the line. Sir T snac Newton is given the credit of originating the present English method of using the decimal point, his reason being that by placing it at the top of the line it could be distinguished at a glance from the “full stop” punctuation mark All English mathematicians use the mark in the way proposed by Newton, and the period as a sign of multiplication. -[Scientific Amentan.