Symbols · Notation and constants
⊥ ∥ Perpendicular and parallel
Say it: “is perpendicular to”, “is parallel to”
What it means
⊥ says two lines or vectors meet at a right angle; ∥ says they run side by side and never meet. In probability, ⊥ can also mean independent.
Read aloud in real formulas
AB ∥ CD
Aethel says
AB is parallel to CD
line AB is parallel to line CD
Typing it
- LaTeX
- \perp, \parallel
- Unicode
- U+22A5, U+2225
Questions
How do you say ⊥ out loud?
It is usually read “is perpendicular to”, and also “is parallel to”.
What does ⊥ mean in maths?
⊥ says two lines or vectors meet at a right angle; ∥ says they run side by side and never meet. In probability, ⊥ can also mean independent.
How do you type ⊥?
In LaTeX, write \perp, \parallel. Its Unicode code point is U+22A5, U+2225.