The diagonal fraction
bar in mathematics
. Also called virgule
. This symbol
was used to replace
, sometimes referred to as a vinculum
, due to the typographic
difficulty imposed by the horizontal bar which requires three terraces
An early written example of this usage can be found in a 1718 ledger by Thomas Twining. In his article "The Calculations of Functions" from 1845 and published in the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana, De Morgan recommended the use of the solidus.
Also, an ancient Roman gold coin used until the fall of the Byzantine Empire and introduced by Constantine.