When writing reports and other technical documents, you tend to need to use special symbols. Such as μ when referring to capacitors, or Ω for resistors. Most of these specialised characters and symbols are not available on a standard phone or computer keyboard. Usually, if they are available behind a combination of keyboard key presses, the incantations are hard to remember.
Also, when writing the SI units, for example, when writing about temperature, where should the space go? There are three possibilities, but only two are in everyday use:
- No spaces, as in 36°C
- After the number, as in 36 °C
The second option is the one recommended by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. This is the custodian of the SI units. So it is the one I would recommend unless there is a good reason to use the alternative. According to Wikipedia, the third option, adding a space between the degree symbol and the unit, is not used by any major style standards.
The same is true for the SI unit after values, such as Volts V, Amps A, etc.
List of Special symbols and characters:
| Symbol | Description | Copy to Clipboard |
|---|---|---|
| ± | Plus Minus Symbol | |
| μ | Greek Small Letter Mu | |
| Ω | Greek Capital Letter Omega | |
| ≤ | Less Than or Equal Symbol | |
| ≥ | Greater Than or Equal Symbol | |
| Δ | Greek Capital Letter Delta | |
| θ | Greek Capital letter Theta | |
| § | Section Sign Symbol | |
| ° | Degrees Symbol | |
| τ | Greek Small Letter Tau | |
| ‽ | Interrobang | |
| · | Interpunct | |
| … | Ellipsis | |
| ⟪ | Mathematical Left Double Angle Bracket | |
| ⟫ | Mathematical Right Double Angle Bracket |
I know some of these, like the Interrobang and the Interpunct, are not common in reports or technical documentation. Still, I use them occasionally, and it is helpful to have access to them and be able to add them to my clipboard.
