Division sign

Also called obelus.

How to type it

Mac: Option + /. Windows: Alt + 0247 on the number pad.

Common uses

• The division sign shows one number divided by another, as in 12 ÷ 4 = 3.
• It is common in school arithmetic and on calculators, though a fraction bar or slash is more usual in advanced math.

Less common uses

• The symbol ÷ is called the obelus, and the Swiss mathematician Johann Rahn used it for division in 1659.
• In some countries ÷ has meant subtraction, and in others the colon : is used for division.
• Programming languages and spreadsheets write division as a slash /, because ÷ is not on most keyboards.