Division Slash vs Fraction Slash

[TomFryers]

∕ (U+2215 DIVISION SLASH) has an ugly gap in its middle.

[TomFryers]

[fitojb]

Intentional. I find it helpful for distinguishing it visually from U+002F. In any case, U+2215 is not meant to be used all alone, but accompanied by numbers around it to compose a diagonally stacked fraction.

[TomFryers]

I think it's U+2044 (FRACTION SLASH) that's only supposed to used in fractions. Division slash is just a normal mathematical operator. The gap makes certain mathematical expressions look a bit odd to me, e.g.

I usually distinguish the division slash from the solidus by angle and length; the division slash is steeper and shorter.

(solidus, division slash, fraction slash)

On the plus side, removing the gap from U+2215 would make it easier to distinguish the division and fraction slashes!

[frankrolf]

This is interesting information!

The division slash looks the same as the fraction slash, because it’s actually one and the same drawing, with two code points assigned. This solution has been standard practice for all Adobe fonts for years, so I’d be interested in seeing more examples for using the division slash, like you shared above.

[frankrolf]

https://superuser.com/a/922075

[frankrolf]

I will change the subject to clarify the intent of the message – the action item for myself is decoupling division slash/fraction slash in Source Serif (basically, dissolve double-mapping and give division slash some more whitespace). Probably the same would be a good idea for Source Code / Source Sans.

[TomFryers]

The division slash is more or less equivalent to LaTeX's math-mode /, and the solidus corresponds to its text-mode /, or \slash. Interestingly, these all seem to be rendered the same! The fractions slash is more like the macros provided by the xfrac package.

I think the division slash supposed to be used more or less as a synonym for ÷. I suppose ‘2 ∕ 3’ [division slash] is ‘two divided by three’ whereas ‘²⁄₃’ [fraction slash] is ‘two thirds’, although these two are of course equal numerically.

[pauldhunt]

Do those of you weighing in on this thread feel that it would be useful to differentiate the division slash from the fraction slash? Based on this conversation, I feel that I would leave the fraction slash as is with the gap in the middle and make a solid division slash without the gap but with the same length and slope. Do you here feel this would be a good idea?

[TomFryers]

That seems like a reasonable idea to me.