science

Shekel sign

Shekel sign is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Shekel sign rather than just read about it. In short: The shekel sign ⟨₪⟩ is a currency sign used for the shekel, the currency of Israel. Israeli new shekel (1986–present) The Israeli new shekel (Hebrew: שקל חדש, romanized: šéqel ħadáš, IPA: [ˈʃekel χaˈdaʃ]), also known by the acronym NIS (Hebrew: ש״ח IPA: [ʃaχ]), was announced officially on 22 September 1985, when the first new shekel banknotes and coins were introduced.

Key takeaways

Shekel sign belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Shekel sign to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Shekel sign from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The shekel sign ⟨₪⟩ is a currency sign used for the shekel, the currency of Israel.

Israeli new shekel (1986–present) The Israeli new shekel (Hebrew: שקל חדש, romanized: šéqel ħadáš, IPA: [ˈʃekel χaˈdaʃ]), also known by the acronym NIS (Hebrew: ש״ח IPA: [ʃaχ]), was announced officially on 22 September 1985, when the first new shekel banknotes and coins were introduced. It is constructed by combining the two Hebrew letters that constitute the acronym (the first letter of each of the two words, Hebrew being written from right to left): ⟨ש⟩ and ⟨ח⟩. Sometimes the ⟨₪⟩ symbol (Unicode 20AA) is used following the number, other times the acronym Hebrew: ש״ח.

The shekel sign, like the dollar sign ⟨$⟩, is usually placed left of the number (i.e. "₪12,000" and not "12,000₪"), but since Hebrew is written from right to left, this means that the symbol is actually written after the number. It is either not separated from the preceding number, or is separated only by a thin space. According to the Academy of the Hebrew Language recommendation for writing numbers in Hebrew, the sign should be written to the left of the number without a space between them. Unlike the dollar sign, the new shekel sign is not used that often when handwriting monetary amounts. The road sign announcing the entrance to an Israeli toll road, such as Highway 6 or the Carmel Tunnels, is a shekel symbol with a road in the background.

Unicode and input The symbol has the Unicode code point U+20AA ₪ NEW SHEQEL SIGN. It has been in Unicode since June 1993, version 1.1.0. Under the Unicode bidirectional algorithm, typing the sign after the number will cause it to be displayed to the right of the number in any text directions. This contradicts the recommendation of the Academy of the Hebrew Language to place the sign to the left of the number in the Hebrew caption. Using the standard Hebrew keyboard (SI 1452), it must be typed as AltGr+A (the letter ש appears on the same key in regular Hebrew mode). The Shekel sign, however, is not engraved on most keyboards sold in Israel and the sign is rarely used in day-to-day typing.

On systems with the Hebrew keyboard layout set, it can be typed on modern Microsoft Windows, desktop Linux and ChromeOS by using AltGr+4. (⇧ Shift+4 makes the dollar sign and AltGr+A is used to type shva.) On most Unix heritage systems, it can be entered by holding down Ctrl+Shift+u (an underlined u will appear), releasing and then typing the Unicode code point 20aa then space or ↵ Enter, irrespective of keyboard setting. On Mac OS X it can be typed as ⇧ Shift+7 when the system is set to a Hebrew keyboard layout.

Old Israeli shekel (1980–1985)

The old Israeli shekel, ⟨⟩, in circulation between 1980 and 1985, had a different symbol, which was officially announced on 18 March 1980. Before the introduction of the old shekel in 1980, there was no special symbol for the Israeli currency. It was a stylized Shin shaped like a cradle (i.e. rounded and opening upward). This symbol appeared on checks issued by Israeli banks between 1980 and 1985. Quoting prices in new shekels started officially on 1 January 1986, and the old shekel checks remaining unused had to be stamped with the new shekel symbol over the old symbol.

See also Israeli shekel Israeli agora Currency symbol

Explanatory notes

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shekel sign

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shekel sign claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Shekel sign before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Shekel sign ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Shekel sign

In research: Shekel sign appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Shekel sign in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Shekel sign is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Currency symbols, Shekel, Symbols introduced in 1980, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Shekel sign outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Shekel sign in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Shekel sign means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Shekel sign out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shekel sign in simple terms?

The shekel sign ⟨₪⟩ is a currency sign used for the shekel, the currency of Israel. Israeli new shekel (1986–present) The Israeli new shekel (Hebrew: שקל חדש, romanized: šéqel ħadáš, IPA: [ˈʃekel χaˈdaʃ]), also known by the acronym NIS (Hebrew: ש״ח IPA: [ʃaχ]), was announced officially on 22 Septem…

Why does Shekel sign matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Shekel sign?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Shekel sign.