Infotech
We often ignore the simpler things in life, just like the power buttons on our daily-use technology.
If you have, then you have come to the right place.
Let us tell you the story behind the power button symbol, and why it is what it is.
Table of Contents
What is power symbol?
Its often seen as a circle with a vertical line inside it.
Think of it like a simple drawing of an O with a straight line through the middle.
Whether in Europe, Asia, or the Americas, youll likely encounter this symbol and understand its meaning.
Its essentially in a standby or off state.
For instance, your TV might display this when its turned off but still connected to a power source.
Why is a symbol necessary for power buttons?
There was a need to develop a universal sign that could be understood by everyone around the world.
In other words, a new standard was to be implemented, which was to be followed by everyone.
The binary number system was understood by almost everyone worldwide and meant the same in every language.
This is because they had standardized different symbols for different types of buttons.
Lets dig into them a little deeper.
Using this control will mark the equipment as off, and there will be no power.
This, too, can be found on rocker switches.
A simple line within a circle depicts the symbol.
It is depicted by a broken circle with a line in between the two broken ends.
They also introduced a new symbol to illustrate the sleep state.
Crescent moon
The IEEE then introduced a new shape for the sleep state, the crescent moon.
Using this control would put the gadget in a low-powered state.
However, this symbol did not catch on much with the general public.
However, all computers now come with a power button with an IEC 60417-5009 standard.
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source: www.itechtics.com
