Caret 981746 222147100 2008-06-27T19:57:53Z 209.42.112.183 /* Uses and history */ Used for operators {{otheruses}} {{Punctuation marks|^}} '''Caret''' is the name for the symbol ^ in [[ASCII]] and some other [[character set]]s. Its [[Unicode]] code point is U+005E, and its ASCII code in hexadecimal is 5E. Strictly speaking, the caret character in common use is actually referred to in the Unicode standard as the "CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT"; the Unicode character named "CARET" is actually a distinct, much less common character, at code point U+2038 ({{unicode|‸}}). There is also a [[combining mark]], U+0302 "COMBINING CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT", which is used when a [[circumflex|circumflex accent]] is to be added as a diacritical mark to another letter. However, the term "caret" is most frequently used to refer to the first of these. Often it's spelled phonetically, '''Carat.''' It is also a mark used by an author or editor to indicate where something is to be inserted into a text. ==Uses and history== The caret was originally used, and continues to be, in handwritten form as a [[proofreading]] mark to indicate where a punctuation mark, word or phrase should be inserted in a document. The term comes from the [[Latin]] ''caret'', "it lacks", from 'carēre', to lack; to be separated from; to be free from. The caret symbol is written below the line of text for a line-level punctuation mark such as a [[comma]], or above for a higher character such as an [[apostrophe]]; the material to be inserted may be placed inside the caret, in the margin, or above the line. The caret is also found on some typewriters, where it is used to denote a [[circumflex|circumflex accent]] in languages which require it, such as [[French language|French]]. In [[statistics]], the caret is used to denote an [[estimator]] or an estimated value, as opposed to its theoretical counterpart. In [[mathematics]] and [[physics]], a caret appearing above a letter indicates a [[unit vector]] (a dimensionless [[Vector (spatial)|vector]] with a [[Magnitude (mathematics)|magnitude]] of 1), or an operator. In mathematics, a caret can signify an [[Exponentiation|exponent]] (3^5 for <math>3^5</math>) where [[Subscript and superscript|superscript]] is difficult or impossible (such as on some [[graphing calculator]]s). In mathematics, a caret placed above an element of a set can signify that that element has been removed from the set. In [[programming language]]s the caret is used either to signify [[Exponentiation|exponent]], or to represent a bitwise [[XOR]] operator. The use of as exponent can be traced back to [[ALGOL 60]], which expressed the [[exponentiation]] operator as an upward-pointing arrow, intended to evoke the [[superscript]] notation common in mathematics. The up-arrow character was codified as character 5E in the original 1963 version of the [[ASCII]] standard; however, this was a short-lived placement. The 1965 [[ECMA-6]] standard replaced the up-arrow with the currently-used caret (and the left-arrow with the [[underscore]]); two years later, the second revision of ASCII followed suit, due to pressure from international standards committees requiring the character's presence as a [[diacritical mark]] (the circumflex). The caret is commonly used to signify control characters via [[caret notation]]. In [[regular expression]]s the caret is used to mark the beginning of a string, or the beginning of a line within that string; if it begins a character class, it indicates that the inverse of the class is to be matched. In [[logic]] the caret is used as a [[logical connective|propositional operator]] to symbolize [[logical conjunction]] otherwise known as an "and" statement. e.g. '''p'''<math>\and</math>'''q'''. ==Other meanings== The term ''caret'' is also sometimes used in [[graphical user interface]] terminology where it means a text insertion point indicator, frequently represented by a blinking vertical bar. In this context, it may be used interchangeably with the word [[cursor (computers)|cursor]], although the latter term is often reserved for a [[computer mouse|mouse]] pointer. ==See also== * [[Circumflex]] * [[Turned v]] ==External links== * [http://www.wps.com/projects/codes/index.html#UP "ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Infiltration] by Tom Jennings * {{MathWorld | urlname=Caret | title=Caret}} [[Category:Punctuation]] [[Category:Typography]] [[de:Zirkumflex]] [[sv:Insättningstecken]] [[tr:İnceltme işareti]] [[es:Acento circunflejo]] [[pl:Kareta (znak)]]